Feb. 14, 2005

Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia Commonwealth shot season-highs of 77 percent from 3-point range and 60 percent from the floor in downing George Mason 89-81 in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball action Monday evening at the ALLTEL Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

The Rams (14-10, 10-5 CAA) take over sole possession of third place in the CAA. The Patriots (14-10, 9-6 CAA) fall into a tie for fourth place with Drexel.

Junior guard Tony Skinn (Takoma Park, Md.) scored a team-high 25 points for George Mason and added four steals. Junior forward Jai Lewis (Aberdeen, Md.) totaled 19 points, including 9-for-9 from the free throw line, and grabbed seven rebounds.

VCU never trailed in the contest. The Rams bolted to a 15-9 lead in the first 4:30. Mason trailed 32-26 with six minutes left in the half before VCU used a 10-2 run to lead 42-28 with just under two minutes remaining. The Patriots closed the period on a 9-1 spurt, capped by a three from Skinn at the buzzer, to trail 43-37 at the break.

The Rams hit their first five 3-point attempts and made eight of 11 three-pointers in the first half, with senior forward Michael Doles going 4-4 from beyond the arc for 12 points.

Lewis' lay up to start the second half pulled Mason to within four, but a 12-3 run gave the Rams a 55-42 advantage with 16:45 left. VCU junior forward Nick George, who posted a game- and career-high 29 points, had eight of the 12 points in the run. VCU led by as many as 16 at 87-71 with 3:06 remaining in the contest, before the Patriots closed the game on a 10-2 run to make the final 89-81.

Senior forward Michael Doles finished with 22 points for Va. Commonwealth, going 4-for-4 from 3-point range. Sophomore guard B.A. Walker added 11 points.

Freshman guard Folarin Campbell (Silver Spring, Md.) came off the bench to post 18 points for the Patriots, who shot 49 percent from the floor and 30 percent from beyond the arc. The Rams dished out 23 assists to 11 turnovers, while Mason handed out 15 assists with only nine turnovers.

George Mason hosts Old Dominion Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Patriot Center.

Box Score
George Mason (14-10, 9-6 CAA)		37-44=81
Va. Commonwealth (14-10, 10-5 CAA)	43-46=89