Jan. 7, 2009

Box Score

Towson, Md. - The George Mason men's basketball team had little trouble in winning its third straight game on Wednesday night as the Patriots traveled to Towson and handed the Tigers a 71-59 defeat. Mason remained in first place in the Colonial Athletic Association with a perfect 4-0 mark and the Patriots improved to 11-3 on the year. Mason has won all 13 games against the Tigers since they joined the CAA.

Five Patriots scored nine or more points led by Darryl Monroe's 16. Cam Long had 13, Dre Smith had 11 and John Vaughan and Ryan Pearson each had nine. Monroe had his fourth double-double of the year and second straight as he also had 10 rebounds. No Towson player had more than 14 points in the game. The Tigers fell to 7-9 on the year, 2-2 in the CAA.

After scoring the game's first basket, Towson watched as Mason went on a 9-0 run that last nearly six minutes. The Tigers finally got back on the board on Troy Franklin's free throw which made it a 9-3 game. Mason eventually went ahead by 10, 16-6, as Dre Smith and Darryl Monroe combined for 14 of those points. Mason pushed the lead to 16 but Towson cut it in half. At the break, Mason went to the locker room with a 33-22 advantage on John Vaughan's 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

The Patriots turned the ball over just four times in the first half while Towson had 12 turnovers. The Tigers were able to get 10 offensive rebounds while helped offset the poor ball handling and the 9 of 26 shooting. Mason was 15 of 32 from the field in the half and had nine assists and eight steals. Mason's Isaiah Tate had a big spark off the bench in five minutes contributing two points, two rebounds a steal and a career-high three assists.

Towson had a much better offensive rhythm to start the second half but Mason was able to answer every basket. With 13:26 to go in the game, the Tigers pulled to within eight on a Franklin runner in the lane. Mason responded with a 14-2 run as Ryan Pearson hit a pair of baskets and a free throw, Cam Long had a pair of baskets and two free throws and Andre Cornelius and Mike Morrison each had baskets. Towson didn't threaten the rest of the way.

The Patriots return to action on Saturday when they host Old Dominion at 2 p.m. at Patriot Center. The game will be broadcast on Comcast SportsNet and broadcast on WWRC 1260.