Nov. 21, 2006

Box Score

Hampton, Va. - The George Mason men's basketball team overcame a 12-point first-half deficit and the Patriots survived their worst shooting performance of the season as Mason to beat Hampton, 55-46 on the road. The Patriots improved to 2-1 on the year while Hampton fell to 1-4.

The Patriots used an 18-7 run early in the second half to grab its first lead of the game as Folarin Campbell and John Vaughan each hit 3-pointers and Mason got the ball inside after that for some easy shots around the basket. Campbell finished with a team-high 22 points while Vaughan scored all 10 of his points in the second half. Will Thomas added nine points as Mason failed to convert half its shots for the first time all season.

Mason finished the game shooting just 41 percent from the field. The Patriots committed 13 turnovers with just 11 assists. But after opening the game with five turnovers and 14 points allowed in the first six minutes, Mason then held Hampton to just 32 points while committing just six turnovers in the final 34 minutes. The Pirates shot just 38 percent from the field and were just 5 of 11 from the free throw line while Mason was 16 of 28 from the charity stripe.

Hampton opened the game with an 11-2 run as they were locked in from long range and their zone defense denied Mason looks. Rashad West hit a pair of 3-pointers and Vincent Simpson had a 3-pointer and a short jumper to provide the early points. But Mason shifted to a 2-3 zone and got back-to-back-to-back dunks off turnovers, the first from Will Thomas, the second from Folarin Campbell, the third from Gabe Norwood.

The pace slowed down a bit after that as each team struggled to keep possession of the ball and to put the ball in when they took shots. Campbell eventually found a groove, making 4 of 7 in the half for nine points. Thomas, who entered the game averaging 19.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists had just four points two rebounds and no assists at the half. After committing just one turnover in the first two games he had four in the first half as he was consistently triple-teamed when he caught the ball in the post. John Vaughan, who entered the game tied with Thomas for the team lead in scoring missed both of his first-half shots.

The Patriots closed the first half with a 7-0 run holding Hampton without a field goal over the final 5:40 of the half. The run was capped by the first points of Louis Birdsong's collegiate career, a layup and free throw with less than a minute to play that made it 22-19.

This Saturday, the Patriots will look to avenge their worst loss of last season when they travel to Omaha to take on Creighton. The Jays were picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference this year and were ranked in the preseason.