Feb. 9, 2005

Box Score

TOWSON, Md. - Junior guard Lamar Butler (Oxon Hill, Md.) scored seven of his 15 points in the final 2:52, including a pivotal 3-pointer with 2:06 remaining, as George Mason (13-9, 8-5 CAA) held off Towson (5-18, 2-11 CAA) for a 62-57 Colonial Athletic Association win in the Towson Center on Wednesday evening.

Butler, who shot 4-for-11 from the floor and five-for-seven at the foul line, rallied the Patriots in the final minutes. After the Tigers had pulled to within 52-51 with 3:31 remaining on a jumper from guard Cantrell Fletcher, Butler was fouled as the shot clock wound down. He nailed both free throws with 2:52 remaining to give the Patriots a 54-51 lead.

Junior forward Lawrence Hamm pulled the Tigers back to within 54-53 after making two free throws with 2:23 left.

However, Butler's 3-point basket (the 200th of his career, putting him second all-time at Mason) with 2:06 left gave Mason a 57-53 edge. With 1:11 left, Butler assisted on a lay up from junior forward Jai Lewis (Aberdeen, Md.), giving the Patriots a 59-53 lead. Butler clinched the win by making two free throws with five seconds left, but only after freshman forward Will Thomas (Baltimore, Md.) blocked consecutive Tiger field goal attempts in the final 30 seconds to thwart any comeback attempt. Thomas recorded a career-high four blocked shots in the game.

Towson led for most of the first half and owned a 16-8 lead with 9:19 remaining in the half. However, freshman guard John Vaughan (Lanham, Md.) rallied the Patriots, who outscored the Tigers 21-7 over the last nine minutes of the half to take a 29-23 lead at intermission. Vaughan, who totaled a game-and career high 17 points in the win, scored ten points before halftime and hit two 3-pointers in the final three minutes of the stanza.

The Patriots opened the second half with an 8-3 spurt to take a 38-27 lead, their largest of the game, with 16:32 remaining. Trailing 52-44 with 7:00 left in the game, Fletcher led the Tigers on a 7-0 run by scoring two baskets to pull the Tigers within 52-51.

Mason's Lewis scored 14 points with 14 rebounds as he posted the 14th double double of his career.

Hamm led the Tigers as he posted his sixth career double double with 15 points and a game- and career-high 17 rebounds. Sophomore guard Mike Green led the Tigers with 16 points and five assists while Fletcher scored 13 points with three steals. The Tigers out rebounded the Patriots, 44-35, but hurt themselves by making only two of sixteen attempts from three-point range.

The Patriots, who beat the Tigers for the eighth time in a row, won despite the absence of junior guard Tony Skinn, who was sidelined with a knee injury. Freshman guard Jordan Carter (Indianapolis, Ind.), who earned his first career start in place of the injured Skinn, registered five points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Patriots, who shot 42 percent from the floor and 29 percent from 3-point range, connected on only 50 percent (12-24) of their free throws. The Tigers made 36 percent from the floor and 69 percent from the line.

George Mason, which has won six of its last seven games, visits William & Mary Saturday at 2 p.m.

Box Score
George Mason (13-9, 8-5 CAA)	29-33=62
Towson (5-18, 2-11 CAA)		23-34=57