Nov. 28, 2008

The George Mason men's basketball team will host Ohio on Saturday afternoon as the Patriots look to stay perfect at home while handing the Bobcats their first loss of the season. The game, which tips at 4 p.m. at Patriot Center, will be broadcast on WWRC 1260.

Ohio visits Mason as a return for last season's ESPN BracketBuster contest in which the Patriots traveled to Ohio and jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead before eventually falling to the Bobcats, 69-57. Mason was undone by 16 turnovers and a 13-6 deficit on the offensive boards.

In last year's contest John Vaughan had 12 points while Cam Long, Louis Birdsong and Dre Smith each scored six. Ohio got 10 points from Jerome Tillman.

This year, Mason (4-1) has been led by Vaughan who is averaging 12.8 points per game. Darryl Monroe is averaging 11.4 points and 9.8 rebounds while Louis Birdsong has been averaging 10.4 points and 4.8 rebounds. Nine different Mason players have score in double figures at least once this year and of Mason's top seven scorers, two are freshman, one is a sophomore, one a junior and three are seniors.

Tillman is averaging 19.0 points and 12.0 rebounds for Ohio which is 2-0 after taking a 74-55 home win over William & Mary and a 79-68 road win at Austin Peay. Tommy Freeman, Justin Orr and Steven Coleman are all averaging at least 11.5 points per game.

One area Mason has excelled this year is rebounding as the Patriots have grabbed 39.0 boards per game while allowing 31.2. The Bobcats are even in rebounding with the opposition at 33 rebounds per game. Ohio is shooting a spectacular 55.2 percent from 3-point range having converted on 16 of 29 shots from behind the arc.

The team urges Mason Nation fans to be a part of the Gold Rush at every game! *Be Bold. Wear Gold *