Feb. 18, 2009
Box Score
The George Mason men's basketball team, after suffering what seems like a dozen defeats in the final minutes this year, turned the tide on Wednesday night in a battle of two teams tied for third place in the CAA. Against the Drexel Dragons, down three with one minute to play, Mason rallied to beat the Dragons 49-48 at Patriot Center. Mason, with one game remaining at home, is looking for its first-ever unbeaten season at home. Mason is 13-0, has won 15 straight and 27 of 28 at Patriot Center.
Darryl Monroe had 15 points and nine rebounds for Mason but he was the only scorer in double figures. Mason shot just 34 percent as a team and was just 11 of 21 from the foul line. Drexel outrebounded Mason 40-34 and was 13 of 17 from the free throw line. Evan Neisler led the Dragons with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Scott Rodgers added 12 points.
The first half saw Drexel come out and establish itself on the boards and on the defensive end, jumping out on the Patriots, 7-0 in the first five minutes. Mason finally scored on a Vaughan 3-pointer with 14:39 to go in the half, but Drexel scored another seven straight to go ahead 14-3. The 11-point deficit was Mason's largest at home this season. Mason responded through with a 21-10 run over the final 12:01 of the half to go into the break with a 24-24 score. Mike Morrison and Dre Smith each had six in the opening stanza.
The second half saw neither team gain any separation. The game was tied eight times and the lead changed more than a dozen times. Mason's largest lead was three on a Louis Birdsong 3-pointer early in the second half. With less than four minutes to play, the score was tied at 42-42 when Rodgers made a pair of free throws to give Drexel a slim lead. After a Ryan Pearson free throw, Neisler scored inside to make it 46-43. The teams traded jumpers in the lane with Drexel leading 48-45 with one minute to play.
Monroe made it a one-point game with a pair of free throws and Leon Spencer missed the front end of a one-and-one to give Mason the ball with less than 35 seconds to play. Monroe's putback of a Smith miss with 7.5 seconds to go made it 49-48. The Patriots got their hands on the ball on Drexel's final possession and Spencer's short jumper in the lane was just off, giving Mason the win.
The Patriots return to action on Saturday when they play at Creighton in the ESPN BracketBuster. That game will be televised on ESPNU and broadcast on WWRC 1260 with a 9:30 EST tip.
