Dec. 8, 2004
Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va.- Junior guard Lamar Butler (Oxon Hill, Md.) scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, including two free throws with 7.5 seconds left, to lift George Mason to a 70-65 win over Iona Wednesday night at the Patriot Center.
The Patriots snap a two-game skid and improve to 4-3 overall and 3-0 at home. The Gaels drop their fourth straight and move to 2-5 on the season.
Butler helped the Patriots survive a night where they missed 20 of their first 23 attempts, shot just 36.7 percent from the floor and saw a 14-point second-half lead vanish.
Guard Steve Burtt scored a season-high 22 points to lead Iona, which led 62-60 when guard Ricky Soliver hit a 3-pointer with 2:02 to play. However, the Patriots responded with a 10-5 closing burst that included a 3-pointer from junior guard Tony Skinn (Takoma Park, Md.), a lay-up from freshman guard John Vaughan (Lanham, Md.) and 5-for-6 shooting from the line to close out the win.
Burtt's lay-up with 7.5 seconds left cut the score to 68-65, but Butler made two free throws and Iona was unable to get off a final shot.
The Gaels, who are now 2-15 in their last 17 road games, turned the ball over 22 times and trailed 20-16 at halftime despite holding the Patriots to 20.6 percent shooting in the first half.
Both teams exploded offensively in the second frame, combining to score 99 points as the Patriots held a 50-49 advantage in the period.
Soliver scored five of Iona's first seven points in the second period to knot the score at 23-23 with just less than 18 minutes left. The Patriots responded with a 19-5 run to stake a 14-point lead (42-28) with 13:24 left, capped by Butler's left-handed drive through several defenders.
Burtt pulled the Gaels back into the contest, scoring 11 points during a 24-10 spark that evened the contest at 54-all with 5:18 remaining.
Junior forward Jai Lewis (Aberdeen, Md.) scored 12 for the Patriots, and Soliver finished with 17 for the Gaels.
George Mason made 20-of-23 free throws and posted 11 steals. The Patriots shot only 27.3 percent (6-for-22) from 3-point range compared to 50.0 percent (6-of-12) for Iona. The Gaels out rebounded the Patriots, 40-32, and shot 45.3 percent from the floor.
George Mason takes two weeks off for the exam break. The Patriots return to action Wednesday, Dec. 22, at St. Bonaventure. Game time is 7 p.m.
Box Score
Iona (2-5) 16-49=65
George Mason (3-4) 20-50=70
