Jan. 27, 2007

Box Score

Harrisonburg, Va. - The George Mason men's basketball team opened the second half with a 17-3 run on Saturday afternoon and Mason's defense returned to form as the Patriots took a 59-41 win at James Madison, improving to 12-8 on the year, 6-4 in Colonial Athletic Association action. The Dukes fell to 6-14, 3-7.

The Patriots closed the first half with a 13-4 run making it a combined stretch in which Mason outscored James Madison 30-7 over a 15 minutes and 38 seconds. Folarin Campbell paced the Patriots with 17 points while Will Thomas added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists while Jordan Carter had 11 points and five rebounds. Louis Birdsong added 10 points and five rebounds.

Mason had a big edge on the glass, outrebounding the Dukes 34-23, and after going 9 of 21 from the free throw line on Wednesday against Virginia Commonwealth, Mason was able to go 9 of 14 from the line on Saturday.

It was an ugly first half as both teams struggled. When they weren't missing shots, it felt like they were turning the ball over. Mason found itself down 15-12 with 7:45 to go in the half when the Patriots went on a 13-4 run to end the opening stanza. Mason enjoyed a 25-19 lead at the break in part because James Madison managed just one point in the final 5:33 and just two field goals in the final 10 minutes.

Mason's big run started in the first half with a Louis Birdsong up-and-under in the lane. Dre Smith added a pair of free throws and Thomas and Campbell had baskets to make it 20-15. Joe Posey hit a 3-pointer for the Dukes and Mason came back with a Birdsong dunk and a pair of Campbell free throws. Each team managed a point from the charity stripe in the final 3:56 to close the half.

The second half opened with Kyle Swanston scoring for the Dukes to make it a four-point game and that was the closest it would be the rest of the way. Campbell made a free throw, Thomas scored inside and had a free throw and Smith hit a 3-pointer. The Dukes ended the draught with a Terrance Carter free throw but Mason came back with a basket from Carter, two field goals from Campbell and a 3-pointer by Carter making it 41-22.

The Dukes put together their best stretch of the game at that point, going on an 11-5 run to cut the lead to 13, but Carter sank a trey with 4:01 to play to make it 49-33. Mason closed the game with a 13-8 run for their sixth-straight win over the Dukes.

Mason returns to action on Monday when the Patriots play at UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m.