Dec. 21, 2005
Box Score
Number 22 turned 22 on Wednesday night and Lamar Butler's teammates helped give him an apropos birthday present as the Patriots held off Hampton, 79-66. Mason was rusty after a 10-day layoff, shooting just 51 percent from the free throw line, but the Patriots shot 58 percent from the field as Butler and Jai Lewis each scored 18, Folarin Campbell added 15 and a career-high nine rebounds and Tony Skinn and Will Thomas had 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The Patriots did very little well in the first half, falling behind 5-0 and struggling to take a 27-25 lead into the break. Mason shot .455 in the first half but made just 5 of 16 from the free throw line. The second half saw Mason finally play with some energy, though, as the Patriots opened the stanza with a 14-6 run that gave them a double-digit lead.
Skinn and Butler scored to open the half and Butler and Campbell each sank a pair of free throws to make it 35-29. That's when the first sign of life sprang into the Patriot Center. Rodrick Coleman got the ball on a breakaway but Skinn chased him down and blocked his shot from behind. Lewis grabbed the loose ball and Butler finished the play with a 3-pointer on an assist from Campbell. It was Skinn's first block of the season and it was essentially a five-point play, denying Hampton an easy basket while giving Mason a 3-pointer.
The Pirates (1-6) did not go away, however. Trailing by eight, 47-39, the game very much turned in their favor. Campbell fouled Jeff Granger and on the ensuing fracas, each was hit with a technical foul. Granger made all four shots while Skinn converted just one, allowing Hampton to pull to within five. After a turnover, Coleman calmly drained a 3-pointer to pull Hampton within two, at 48-46.
But that was the closest the Pirates could get, as Mason (6-3) went on a 17-6 run to close the door on Hampton. The run started with Mason up 50-48 with 8:04 to play and ended with the Patriots ahead 67-54 with 2:10 to go. A pair of late 3-pointers gave Hampton some hope but Mason was 8 of 10 from the line over the final 1:28, connecting on the free chances when it mattered most.
Jaz Cowan played his first game for Hampton after transferring from George Washington and he scored 17 points to go with seven rebounds. Bruce Brown added 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds while Coleman had a game-high 20 points. But Hampton shot just 41 percent from the field in the game and 29 percent from 3-point range. The Patriots, meanwhile, shot 70 percent from the field in the second half and made 18 of 29 free throws after the break.
Butler was 5 of 7 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3-point range. He needs just two 3-pointers to tie Donald Ross' school record for career 3-pointers at 251. He also topped the 1,200 point barrier, finishing the game with 1,204 points, passing Steve Smith for 15th on the all-time list. Lewis made 7 of 10 shots and had eight rebounds and four assists. He needs two rebounds to tie Jesse Young for eighth on the career rebounding list and 21 points to pass Young on the all-time scoring list. Gabe Norwood had six points and four assists off the bench.
Mason returns to action on Tuesday when the Patriots host Holy Cross at the Patriot Center with tip-off at 7 p.m.
