FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason men's basketball team used a big first-half run to blow by Brown, a 74-48 Patriots victory on Monday night as part of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off. Mason improved to 3-2 while the Bears fell to 2-3 after the loss.

Senior Ryan Pearson scored a game-high 23 points and added three steals, tying a game-high, while freshman Vaughn Gray had a career-best 10 points and three steals. Making his first career start, freshman Corey Edwards dished four assists to lead all players and added six points and two steals. Leading the way for Brown was John Harris who scored nine points.

Mason controlled the game early after Vaughns' layup one minute in opened the scoreboard. While the Bears tied the score at four, a 6-0 Mason run gave the Patriots a 10-4 lead. Brown answered with eight straight of their own to take the lead at the 12:30 mark on a 3-pointer by Albrecht, 12-10.

The Patriots countered with a 19-3 run of their own, holding the Bears to one field goal over nearly nine minutes as they led by as many as 19 in the half. Mason out-shot Brown by a 53.8-to-28.6 percent margin and out-rebounded the visitors by a 20-15 difference. Pearson had 12 points to lead all scorers in the opening half and also pulled down six boards.

A 12-3 run by the Patriots out of the second half's opening whistle pushed the gap to 25 points at 49-24 just over four minutes in, and the Patriots went on to lead by as many as 32 before the Bears closed out the game with 10 of the final 14 points.

Mason is back in action on Tuesday evening, closing out NIT play at 7:30 against Albany. The Great Danes defeated Monmouth, 85-49, in Monday's opening game.