Feb. 10, 2007
Box Score
The George Mason men's basketball team was unable to avoid its first three-game losing streak since the 2004-05 season and Mason lost back-to-back home games in the same season for the first time in more than five years as Hofstra took its first-ever win at the Patriot Center, beating Mason 68-60 in front of 7,800 fans at the Patriot Center, the 14th-largest crowd in school history.
Mason fell to 7-8 in the Colonial Athletic Association, the first time since 1997-98 that Mason has been sub-.500 in league play after more than 10 conference games. The Patriots are 13-12 overall. Hofstra remained in second place, improving to 12-3 in the CAA, 19-7 overall.
Antoine Agudio had 23 points and Loren Stokes had 18 as the two were right at their season average of 41.5. Folarin Campbell had 14, Will Thomas had 12 and Darryl Monroe added 11. The Pride shot slightly better from the field and had four more offensive rebounds as Hofstra won its fourth straight over Mason.
The first half was played at Mason's pace. The Patriots lead the CAA in scoring defense and Saturday saw the two teams combined for just 46 first-half points. It was more than two minutes before either team scored and in that time, Mason missed a layup and a dunk before Monroe put back his own miss. That was Mason's only lead of the half. After tying the game 5-5, Mason never got closer than two over the rest of the first half. Hofstra, meanwhile, was never able to get ahead by more than six.
Both teams shot less than 35 percent from the field in the first half as Hofstra was 9 of 27 while Mason was 9 of 26. Eight of Mason's nine field goals came in the paint. The Pride was 3 of 14 from 3-point range while Mason was 0 for 5. Hofstra was also 4 of 4 from the free throw line while Mason was 3 of 5. Agudio led all scorers with 12 while Campbell paced the Patriots with seven and Monroe added six points and four rebounds.
Mason opened the second half with a 13-4 run that gave them a five-point lead as Monroe and Jordan Carter each had four points, Campbell drained a 3-pointer and Thomas scored in the paint. Hofstra came back with back-to-back 3-pointers from Agudio and Carlos Rivera to retake the lead at 35-34. After Thomas' free throw tied the score, Stokes had back-to-back jumpers and a free throw to put the Pride ahead, 40-35.
The Patriots responded with a 9-2 run as Campbell scored on a jumper, and after Stokes scored in traffic, Thomas had a dunk and a pair of free throws and John Vaughan drained a 3-pointer, his first in the month of February. The run ended when Arminas Urbutis hit a free throw and then a jumper to put the Pride in front, 45-44. Stokes's basket in the lane and Agudio's 3-pointer put the Pride back on top by six, capping an 8-0 run. Mason wouldn't get any closer than four the rest of the way, and that was in the final minute after a stretch of more than four minutes without a Mason point. The Patriots rallied from a 63-50 deficit to make it 64-60 but the Pride made free throws to seal the win.
Next up for Mason is a road game on Wednesday at Delaware. The Patriots will be looking to sweep the season series from the Blue Hens.
