Jan. 3, 2004
Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va. - Sophomore Jai Lewis (Aberdeen, MD/Maine Central Institute), who scored nine of George Mason's final 12 points in the last four minutes of the game, finished with 16 and a career-high 12 rebounds as the Patriots opened their Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball slate with a 71-62 victory over visiting Towson Saturday evening at Patriot Center. Lewis earns his fourth career double-double and George Mason gets its fourth straight win to improve to 8-2 overall (1-0 CAA), while the Tigers drop to 3-7 on the year (0-1 CAA).
Junior guard Terry Reynolds (Nashville, TN/Toledo) led George Mason with 18 points and dished out a game-high nine assists. Sophomore guard Tony Skinn (Takoma Park, MD/Hagerstown CC) came off the bench to post 15 points. Senior guard Raoul Heinen (Bunschoten, Holland) registered 13 for the Patriots.
Towson senior guard Jamaal Gilchrist led all scorers with a game-high 25 points before fouling out with 18 seconds left. He added seven rebounds, three assists and four steals. Sophomore forward Lawrence Hamm recorded 13 points and freshman guard Mike Green posted 12.
George Mason led 39-24 at halftime as Reynolds and Skinn finished the frame with 15 and 12 points, respectively. The Patriots extended the advantage to 48-30 with 15:51 left after a jumper in the paint by Lewis. But, the Tigers clawed back into the game with a 23-7 spurt, fueled by Gilchrist and Green who contributed eight and seven points, respectively, during the run that pulled Towson to within two, 55-53, with 8:25 remaining.
The Patriots would continue to hold a slim advantage for the next seven minutes, until Gilchrist cut the margin to three, 65-62, after connecting on a 12-foot jumper with 1:09 left. Lewis made a layup on the Patriots' next possession. A steal by Skinn and subsequent foul by Gilchrist put Reynolds on the free throw line with 33 seconds on the clock. He missed both shots, but Mason got the rebound, forcing the Tigers to foul again. Reynolds made the next two from the line, giving the Patriots a 69-62 cushion with 31 seconds remaining as they held on for the win.
Mason opened the first half on an 11-0 run as it held Towson scoreless for the first five minutes of the contest. Trailing 14-5 with 12:39 left in the first, the Tigers' Gilchrist and Trevan Jackson combined to score nine points during a 10-3 run to pull to within three, 18-15, with 9:45 left. The Patriots responded with an 18-3 outburst, which included consecutive three's by Skinn and later by Reynolds that helped Mason build a 36-18 margin with 4:19 left in the half.
George Mason shot 40.7 percent from the floor and out rebounded Towson, 45-35. The Tigers made 34.9 percent of their field goals. Mason, who was back-in-action this evening after a 10-day layoff, played without senior guard Mark Davis (Springfield, VA/R.E. Lee/Palm Beach CC) who was still nursing an ankle injury
The Patriots conclude a three-game home stand Wednesday when they host conference foe Old Dominion at 7 p.m. The Tigers also return to action Wednesday as they travel to CAA opponent Hofstra for a 4 p.m. tilt.
Box Score
Towson (3-7, 0-1 CAA) - 24-38=62
George Mason (8-2, 1-0 CAA) - 39-32=71
