Dec. 5, 2004
Box Score
WASHINGTON - Junior guard Lamar Butler (Oxon Hill, Md.) scored a game-high 19 points and junior forward Jai Lewis (Aberdeen, Md.) added 12 points and a game-best eight rebounds for George Mason as No. 11 Michigan State escaped with a 66-60 victory on Sunday afternoon in the consolation game of the BB&T Classic at the MCI Center.
Guard Maurice Ager scored 13 points for the Spartans (4-2) and forward Alan Anderson and center Paul Davis each contributed 12. Shannon Brown totaled 10 for MSU. Patriot (3-3) sophomore guard Gabe Norwood (State College, Pa.) tied his career-high with 10 points and contributed five rebounds, four assists and a game-high five steals.
George Mason was facing a ranked opponent for the second consecutive game and the third time this season, both firsts in school history. The Patriots lost 78-54 to No. 12 Maryland in the opening round. Michigan entered the contest averaging over 90.0 points per game.
Butler scored 11 of the first 15 points in the second half for the Patriots, who trailed by four points, 49-45, with 11:34 to go.
Lewis' inside basket with 9:26 left got George Mason within 51-49, but Lewis missed the free throw to convert a three-point play. Freshman guard John Vaughan's (Lanham, Md.) fast-break basket cut the Spartans' lead to 56-55 with 4:59 remaining.
Davis and Anderson scored to make it 57-64 with 57 seconds left before Vaughan converted a trey from the left corner with 23 seconds on the clock, pulling the Patriots within four points.
George Mason opened the game with a 15-8 lead at 13:54, but Michigan State responded with a 25-4 run over the next 10 minutes as Ager and guard Chris Hill each made two three-pointers.
The Patriots, however, closed the first half on an 11-2 run to get within 35-30 at the intermission.
Michigan State and George Mason both shot around 47.0 percent from the floor. Mason helped itself by forcing 17 Spartan turnovers and limiting MSU to only two steals. The Spartans out rebounded the Patriots, 39-22. Mason shot just 2-for-8 from the free throw line and finished 6-for-23 from 3-point range.
George Mason hosts Iona Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Patriot Center.
Box Score
(11/9) Michigan State (4-2) 35-31=66
George Mason (3-3) 30-30=60
