Jan. 9, 2009
The George Mason men's basketball team will look to match its best-ever start in the Colonial Athletic Association on Saturday afternoon when the Patriots take on Old Dominion in a game televised on Comcast SportsNet. Mason and the Monarchs will tip at 2 p.m. at Patriot Center and Mason will be looking for a 5-0 record in the CAA. The only time Mason has ever started a CAA season 5-0 was in 1998-99.
The Patriots have won 9 of their past 11 games and are 7-0 at home on the year. Stretching back to 2007, Mason has won 21 of its past 22 home games. Mason is 11-3 on the year, just the second time in school history that the Patriots have won at least 11 of their first 14 games, and first time since 1983-84. The Monarchs enter the game with a 9-5 mark. They are 2-2 in the CAA and 3-3 on the road.
Old Dominion has been led by Gerald Lee who was picked preseason first-team All-CAA. Lee is averaging 15.1 points and 5.5 rebounds on the year. Ben Finney has added 10.2 points and 6.9 rebounds while Darius James and Keyon Carter are both averaging 9.1 points per game. James is leading the team with 4.2 assists per game.
The Monarchs had a seven-game winning streak to close out the 2008 calendar year but since January began, they are just 1-2. Old Dominion lost by one at Georgia State, by 12 at William & Mary, and at home by eight to James Madison. The Monarchs are second in the CAA in scoring defense, behind Mason, and fourth in the CAA in field-goal percentage defense. Mason is second in that category. Old Dominion has been excellent on the boards this season, outrebounding the opposition by 7.6 rebounds per game. Mason has a 3.8 rebound advantage on its opposition.
Cam Long has been one of Mason's most consistent players this year. He leads the team in points and assists with per game averages of 11.8 and 3.5. He's also tied for second in rebounding, with 4.4, and he's second in steals, with 14 on the year. His 17 3-pointers and 37.8 percent shooting from long range are second only to John Vaughan. Darryl Monroe is averaging 10.4 points per game and he leads the CAA with 63.3 percent shooting. He's also second in the conference with 8.6 rebounds per game. Vaughan is at 11.3 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per contest.
Old Dominion leads the all-time series 31-14 but the Patriots have beaten ODU at least once in every season beginning with the 1998-99 campaign. The Patriots are 8-3 at home against the Monarchs under head coach Jim Larranaga.
