Feb. 25, 2009

Box Score

Wilmington, N.C. - John Vaughan made a reverse layup off a pass from Darryl Monroe with four seconds to play as the Patriots survived several big UNC Wilmington runs to beat the Seahawks, 53-52 in Wilmington, N.C. It was Mason's first win at UNC Wilmington in more than five years and it snapped a six-game road losing streak stretching back to the middle of January.

The Patriots led by 16 with 8:39 to play but UNCW used a 23-6 run to take a lead with 21 seconds to play. The run included four 3-pointers from Montez Downey and nine points from Chad Tomko. But the Patriots didn't fold, running a backdoor play that got Vaughan free for the game-winning points.

Dre Smith carried the Patriots early in the second half, Cam Long and Mike Morrison gave the Patriots (19-9, 12-5) the big lead. After UNCW closed to five at 45-40, Smith hit a big 3-pointer and a Darryl Monroe free throw put the Patriots ahead 49-40. The Seahawks then scored 12 of the next 14 points to take their third lead of the game. All of UNCW's leads were by one point.

Smith finished with a team-high 13 points and John Vaughan had the first double-digit rebounding game of his career. The fifth-year senior who had never won at Trask Coliseum finished with seven points and 11 rebounds. Long finished with nine while Morrison had eight. Downey and Chad Tomko each had 17 for UNCW (7-23, 3-14).

After the first minute, it looked as if it might be a high-scoring affair as both teams made their opening shot. But the Seahawks and Patriots combined to then go 1 of 15 from the field as Mason led 4-3 after six minutes. Mason broke out of its shooting slump first, going 4 for 5 over the next four minutes while UNCW missed all four shots. That let Mason take a 13-4 lead midway through the first half. Unfortunately, despite holding UNCW to no field goals and just two free throws over a span of more than 10 minutes, the Patriots could only build the nine-point lead.

The Patriots were finally able to push the lead to double figures after UNCW made its second field goal of the half with 8:30 to go, cutting it to a 14-7 Mason lead. The Patriots answered with a Darryl Monroe basket and a Cam Long 3-pointer for a 19-7 lead. With less than four minutes to go, still down 12, UNCW found its stroke, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers, a layup and two free throws to make it a 21-19 game at the half.

The second half saw Mason score first but Chad Tomko scored five straight for the Seahawks to make it a 24-23 UNCW lead, It was the Seahawks first lead since 3-2. Mason answered with a 6-0 run of its own and with 14 minutes to play, the Patriots held a 31-28 lead, thanks to Smith's barrage. That's when Long and Morrison took over as the Patriots went on a 14-1 run. But just like the first half, UNCW put together a big run, this time 11-0 to pull to within five, 45-40. The bleeding stopped when Dre Smith made his first 3-pointer since January, a long one from the right wing as the shot clock was winding down to put the Patriots back up by eight.

Mason's last win at Wilmington came on Jan. 21, 2004 when the Patriots pulled out a 64-62 overtime win. Mason's three-game winning streak over the Seahawks is tied for the longest such streak against UNCW since a four-game winning streak from Feb. 11, 1989 through Feb. 3, 1990. The longest Mason winning streak against UNCW is five games, set from March 2, 1985 through Jan. 26, 1987.

The Patriots return to action on Saturday as Mason celebrates Senior Night at Patriot Center. The Patriots will take on Towson at 8 p.m. in a game televised on MASN and broadcast on WTNT 570.