Dec. 30, 2008

Box Score

Dayton, Ohio - The University of Dayton Flyers used an 11-2 run over the final 4:40 on Tuesday night to rally from a late deficit and defeat the George Mason men's basketball team 66-62 in front of 13,107 fans at UD Arena. The Patriots led for nearly the entire second half before Dayton's late run which saw Rob Lowery hit a game-tying layup with 2:10 to play and Chris Johnson hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:06 to go as Mason (8-3) saw its three-game winning streak snapped. The Flyer (12-1) improved to 9-0 at home.

Dre Smith had his best game of the season with a season-high 22 points and a career-high seven rebounds. Cam Long added 15 points and four assists but the Patriots were unable to keep the Flyers off the boards. Dayton outrebounded Mason 42-29 including 18 offensive rebounds that led to 23 second-chance points. The Flyers got 13 points each from Marcus Johnson and Lowery and three others scored eight or more.

The first half saw Mason take a lead early and they stayed in command throughout the half. The Patriots were outrebounded 22-13 but they only committed four turnovers to Dayton's nine. Mason also shot 48 percent from the field while limiting the Flyers to 40 percent shooting. Smith had 14 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in the half while Long added 11 points as the Patriots took a 35-30 lead into the break.

Dayton closed the gap early in the second half and finally took the lead behind a 6-0 run midway through the stanza to go ahead 50-48. A 12-5 Mason run put the Patriots ahead by five with 4417 to play. But the Patriots would manage just a pair of free throws over the remainder of the contest while Dayton got three uncontested layups, a pair of free throws and Johnson's 3-pointers.

It was Mason's first trip to UD Arena since the 2006 NCAA Tournament when Mason beat Michigan State and North Carolina on the way to the Final Four. The Patriots return to action on Saturday when they play their Colonial Athletic Association home opener, hosting UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m. That game will be televised on MASN and broadcast on WTNT 570.