Dec. 6, 2008

Box Score

Philadelphia, Pa. - The George Mason men's basketball team built a 17-point lead early in the second half behind a 17-4 run, then had to hold off Drexel down the stretch as the Dragons had the game's final possession with a chance to win. In the end, Mason escaped Daskalakis Athletic Center with a 56-55 win. It's the sixth time in the past seven years Mason has won its Colonial Athletic Association opener. Mason is now 6-2, 1-0 while Drexel is 2-2, 0-1.

After going ahead 44-27 with 15 minutes to play, Mason saw the Dragons pull to within two at 48-46 with 6:!5 to play. Mason got baskets inside from Louis Birdsong and Ryan Pearson to go back up by six. Mason led 55-48 with 47 seconds to play before Evan Neisler scored inside and was fouled, converting the free throw to make it 55-51. The Dragons stole the ball on the inbounds and another basket inside made it 55-53 with 16.6 to go in regulation. After Birdsong made 1 of 2 free throws, Scott Rodgers came down the court and took the ball to the basket. Darryl Monroe was whistled for an intentional foul with 2.9 to go and Rodgers made both free throws. The Dragons retained possession but Neisler missed the potential game winner.

For the first time all season Mason was outrebounded, 41-26, but the Patriots shot significantly better than Drexel and Mason took care of the ball. The Patriots shot 42.3 percent while Drexel was held to 35.1 percent shooting. The Dragons turned the ball over 14 times while Mason committed just eight turnovers.

No Mason player scored in double figures but six players scored six or more points as Mason continued to have balance on the offensive end. John Vaughan scored all nine of his points in the second half. Monroe, meanwhile, also scored a team-high nine points while leading Mason with five rebounds and five assists.

After falling behind early, the Patriots were able to rally behind their defense. Trailing 10-4, five different Mason players scored to put the Patriots ahead 13-12. Mason led by as many as six in the half, 23-17, before taking a 27-23 lead into the break. Six Patriots had four or more points in the half as Mason shot 40 percent from the field. Drexel shot 31 percent from the field and turned the ball over twice as often as Mason, with eight turnovers. Evan Neisler had nine points to lead the Dragons.

The Patriots take a nearly two-week break from action as the student-athletes prepare for finals. Mason will return to the court on Dec. 19 when they host Radford at Patriot Center at 7 p.m. That game will be televised on MASN and broadcast on WTNT 570.