Jan. 16, 2007

Box Score

Williamsburg, Va. - The George Mason men's basketball team continued its torrid play on Tuesday and the Patriots were able to exact revenge for a loss suffered two weeks ago as Mason held off several first-half William & Mary rallies before eventually pulling away, cruising to a 76-63 road win over the Tribe. Will Thomas scored 19 points on 8 of 10 shooting and Folarin Campbell and John Vaughan each hit four 3-pointers as Mason put together its first four-game winning streak since last year's NCAA Tournament.

Mason made 13 of 19 shots to open game while forcing seven Tribe turnovers and after William & Mary rallied from first a 15-point deficit and later a 14-point deficit, the Patriots pulled away in the second half, using a 30-15 run to improve to 10-7 on the season, 4-3 in Colonial Athletic Association action. Jordan Carter continued his hot play for Mason as he set a new career high with 12 points.

The Patriots jumped out to a 15-point lead on William & Mary behind good jump shooting and strong inside play. Carter hit a 3-pointer to start the game, Darryl Monroe made a pair of baskets on the inside and Thomas hit a basket in the paint and converted a free throw.

That opened things up for the Mason shooters as Campbell hit a pull-up jumper, Vaughan drained a 3-pointer and Campbell hit a trey. Louis Birdsong scored an uncontested layup to make it 20-5 with 12:40 to play. Corey Cofield scored five straight points for the Tribe to stop the bleeding and Kyle Carrabine drained a 3-pointer from the left corner to extend it to an 8-0 William & Mary run. Nathan Mann's runner off the glass brought William & Mary to within five.

A Campbell steal and Carter layup ended the Mason scoring draught and started a 13-4 run. Monroe had a basket and free throw, Thomas scored inside and Carter and Smith hit 3-pointers as William & Mary managed just a pair of baskets from Laimis Kisielius. That left the Patriots with a 33-19 edge with a little more than six minutes to go in the half.

The Tribe (10-7, 3-4) rallied to close the deficit to seven before the half behind an active 2-3 zone. David Schneider had a four-point play behind a 3-pointer and a foul shot and after his backdoor layup, Kisielius hit a 3-pointer. Peter Stein added a basket and Adam Payton had a pair of free throws. Mason, meanwhile, managed just three Will Thomas baskets, two on dunks, to make it a 39-32 game at the break. For Mason, it tied a season-high for most first-half points, set in the previous outing against James Madison.

The second half opened with a William & Mary scoring burst as the Tribe made it a two-point game, the closest it had been since 5-5. But Mason responded with a 14-3 run behind Thomas, who scored twice inside and, when the Tribe triple-teamed him, found an open Vaughan for a pair of 3-pointers. Carter and Dre Smith also had transition baskets in the run as William & Mary was held to a Kisielius 3-pointer. For the third time in the game, Mason had opened a double-digit lead. This time, Mason didn't allow a William & Mary rally. Instead, the Patriots added to the lead, as Thomas and Monroe each scored inside to make it 59-42.

From that point on, every time William & Mary managed to string a pair of baskets together, Mason responded with a big shot from the perimeter, first from Vaughan, then three times from Campbell. By time the Tribe got to within 10, there was less than two minutes to play. Mason committed just four turnovers in the game, none after the half.

Mason returns to action on Saturday when the Patriots host Northeastern at 4 p.m.