Jan. 4, 2010
VIDEO of postgame press conference/Box Score
The George Mason men's basketball used a 23-13 run in the final eight minutes to rally past Hofstra and claim sole possession of first place in the Colonial Athletic Association as the Patriots beat the Pride, 67-63 at Patriot Center. It was Mason's 13th-straight home win against CAA opponents and it puts the Patriots at 3-0 on the season in the conference, the only unbeaten CAA team.
Mason got 16 second-half points from Ryan Pearson who had just one point in the first half. Pearson also had four rebounds and two steals and was 7 of 9 from the free throw line. Cam Long had 12 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals while Luke Hancock had 11 points and seven rebounds and Andre Cornelius had 13 points on 3 of 4 shooting from 3-point range. Chaz Williams led Hofstra with a career-high 20 points while Halil Kanacevic had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Charles Jenkins had 11, well below his average of 18.6.
Mason (8-6) blocked seven shots and was 6 of 11 from 3-point range while forcing 18 turnovers. That helped them overcome a 41-30 rebounding deficit. The Pride had 17 offensive rebounds for 14 second-chance points but shot just 40 percent on the game. They were just 6 of 16 from 3-point range.
The critical stretch came with Hofstra (8-7, 1-2) up 53-52. Cornelius hit a 3-pointer and after a pair of Kanacevic free throws tied the game, Mason made four straight throws to go ahead 59-55. Kanaceivc scored inside but Pearson countered with a basket. Kanacevic scored again to make it 61-59 with less than a minute to go, but Hancock stepped up with a drive and spin move to make it 63-59. Mason was 8 of 8 from the line in the final three minutes.
The two offenses were anemic from the start with Mason opening 2 of 8 while Hofstra opened 1 of 10. The Pride found their rhythm first with a 7-0 run to go up 15-7. Down, 17-10, Louis Birdsong and Andre Cornelius made back-to-back 3-pointers to close the gap. Trailing 23-18 before the half, Cam Long sank a 3-pointer then Mike Morrison stole the ball and Long dunked it home on an assist from Luke Hancock to make it 23-23 at the break.
Mason will return to the road on Thursday when the Patriots travel to Northeastern to take on the Huskies at 7 p.m. in a game televised on The Comcast Network and broadcast on WTNT 570 AM. The Huskies were picked in the CAA's preseason poll to finish second this season while Mason was picked to finish fourth.
