Jan. 31, 2004

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - Sophomore forward Jai Lewis (Aberdeen, MD/Maine Central Inst.) led four George Mason players in double figures with 21 points and a career-high 16 rebounds as the Patriots downed visiting William & Mary, 78-62, in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball action Saturday afternoon in front of 6,240 fans at Patriot Center. The win gives Mason a season sweep of the Tribe for the second consecutive year.

The Patriots snap a two-game losing skid in the conference as they improve to 13-6 overall and 6-4 in the CAA. The victory made coach Jim Larranaga the second winningest coach in school history with a 113-80 mark in seven seasons, surpassing Joe Harrington, who went 112-85 from 1980 through '87.

For Lewis, it was his fifth career double-double and fourth this season. Senior guard Mark Davis (Springfield, VA/Palm Beach CC) added 19 points while sophomore guard Tony Skinn (Takoma Park, MD/Hagerstown CC) and junior forward Kevin Mickens (Baltimore, MD/Allegany College of MD) both came off the bench to record 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Adam Hess had 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to lead the Tribe (6-14, 3-8 CAA), whose three-game winning streak ended. Zeb Cope scored 15 points, and Nick D'Antoni added 13 points and 11 assists for his first career double-double.

W&M shot out to a 10-0 lead in the first three minutes and extended the margin to 13-2 after a 3-pointer from Hess with 16:00 on the clock. The Patriots trailed for the entire first half, but ended the period on a 15-5 run in the final 6:22 as Davis scored six and Skinn added five during the spurt. Skinn's buzzer-beating 3-pointer tied the contest at 40 as both teams headed into the intermission.

Davis' 3-pointer to start the second period opened a 10-2 run for the Patriots who led 50-42 at the 16:37 mark. The Tribe answered with a 12-2 run capped by Hess' backdoor layup for a 54-52 advantage with roughly 12 minutes left. That would be the last lead W&M would have as the Mason defense held the Tribe to two field goals over the final 11:53 en route to the 78-62 win.

George Mason shot 51.8 percent from the floor compared to William & Mary's 39.1 percent. The Tribe out rebounded the Patriots, 41-32.

The Patriots return to action Wednesday when the team travels to take on Towson at 7 p.m.

Box Score
William & Mary (6-14, 3-8 CAA) - 40-22=62
George Mason (13-6, 6-4 CAA) - 40-38=78