NORFOLK, Va. - Immediately after their victory on Monday afternoon over
William & Mary, the George Mason men's basketball senior class told their
teammates in the locker room the importance of a victory on Thursday at Old
Dominion. The Patriots took it to heart, as they pulled off a nearly
wire-to-wire 63-54 victory over the Monarchs before 7,783 fans at the Constant
Center.
It was just the second win for Mason (11-4, 3-0 CAA) in the
building, and the first since 2004. The Monarchs, previously unbeaten in CAA
play, dropped to 2-1 while falling to 7-8 overall.
Two Mason seniors led the way, as Ryan Pearson collected his
sixth double-double of the year while Mike Morrison fell one rebound short
along with 10 points. Pearson, meanwhile, had 16 points along with a game-high
14 rebounds. Joining the duo in double figures was sophomores Bryon Allen and
Vertrail Vaughns, who chipped in 14 and 13 points respectively. Kent Bazemore
had 17 points to pace the Monarch offense, which was plagued by 29.5 percent
field goal shooting compared to a 42.9 percent clip by the Patriots.
ODU controlled the glass with a 47-37 advantage, including a
22-to-8 lead in offensive rebounds, but the Patriots' defense limited those
offensive rebounds to just two second-chance points.
After the Monarchs took an early 8-4 lead, the Patriots
responded with a 13-2 run which gave them a 17-10 advantage into the first scheduled
timeout. That margin grew to 12 and stayed in double digits for much of the
first half, before the Monarchs mounted an 8-0 run to pull within four at
28-24. The Monarchs would get even closer, including a basket by Cooper with
less than 20 seconds remaining in the half which set the eventual halftime
margin of 34-31.
It was the Patriots' first halftime lead at the Constant
Center in five years, dating back to a 31-21 halftime advantage over ODU on
January 6, 2007. Pearson matched Bazemore with a first-half high 11 points while
adding a game-high eight rebounds, joined in double figures by Morrison who
contributed 10 points.
In the second half, the Monarchs kept it close, pulling with
two points after a 3-pointer by Donte Hill at the 13:26 mark made it 45-43.
Five in a row by Mason opened up a 7-point lead, and ODU got no closer than five
from then on.
The Patriots, who have won four straight, next square off
against the only other CAA unbeaten, hosting Georgia State on Saturday night at
7 p.m.
