George Mason used a 14-2 run late in the second half to overcome an eight-point deficit and head coach
Jim Larranaga broke the CAA record for coaching wins as the Patriots won a battle with UNC Wilmington for first place in the CAA behind a 69-62 victory in front of 6,733 fans at the Patriot Center.
Jai Lewis had 19 points and was 8 of 11 11 from the free throw line and Tony Skinn, Folarin Campbell and Lamar Butler combined for 36 points as Mason took sole possession of first place in the CAA and avenged a loss from earlier in the season at Wilmington. After struggling from the free throw line throughout the game, Skinn and Campbell each made a pair and Gabe Norwood sank 1 of 2 to seal the win in the game's final minute.
For Larranaga, it was the 107th CAA win of his career, breaking the record that Dick Tarrant had set while at Richmond. Larranaga already owns the Mason record for career coaching wins.
T.J. Carter, who scored 28 points in the first meeting between the teams, had 21 for the Seahawks (17-7, 10-3). Mitch Laue had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. UNC Wilmington had led with five minutes to go but the Patriots allowed just one field goal over the final 4:28. The Seahawks out-rebounded Mason and made more field goals but they also committed 25 fouls to Mason's 13. That led to 28 free throws for the Patriots while UNC Wilmington shot just eight.
Things began quite slowly for Mason (17-5, 11-2). The Patriots found themselves down 7-0 and having committed five fouls before Norwood's pull-up 12-foot jumper at 14:21 put them on the board. After that, Skinn took over. The senior guard drained four 3-pointers in fewer than seven minutes with most of them coming from around 25-feet out.
Mason took its first lead of the game when Lewis stole the ball from Carter and Campbell found Lamar Butler for a layup, putting the Patriots ahead 21-20. Mason took its largest lead of the half when Lewis sank a 3-pointer to make it 26-24. But Mason was outscored 6-1 as the Seahawks closed out the half with a three-point lead.
The second half was a half of runs. Mason opened with a 7-0 run but UNC Wilmington responded with an 8-0 run of its own. With the teams tied at 43-43, the Seahawks went on a 13-5 run to build an eight-point lead. But that's when Mason's comeback began.
A Lewis layup and Campbell free throw made it 56-51 and Norwood and Sammy Hernandez had jumpers that made it 56-55. After a layup by Laue gave UNC Wilmington a three-point cushion, Mason went on a 7-0 run that gave the Patriots the lead for good. Butler had a layup, Lewis made 3 of 4 free throws and Campbell had a layup as Mason earned its 16th win in the past 19 games. Mason is now 10-1 this calendar year. The Seahawks, meanwhile, had a five-game winning streak snapped.
The Patriots return to action on Thursday when they travel to Virginia Commonwealth where Mason hasn't beaten the Rams since Jan. 22, 2000. That game is set for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
