FAIRFAX, Va. - Junior Bryon Allen drained an up-and-under layup along with
the bonus free throw at the 0.2-second mark to lift the George Mason men's
basketball team past visiting Boston University, 48-45, on Saturday afternoon
at the Patriot Center. The victory improves Mason's record to 4-2, while the
Terriers dropped to 0-5 on the season.
The Mason offense was paced by redshirt junior Johnny
Williams who had 10 points and eight rebounds along with a game-high three
steals, the lone Patriot scorer in double figures. Classmate Sherrod Wright
scored nine points along with a team-high nine rebounds, part of a Patriots
effort that out-rebounded the Terriers 41-36. Allen had five assists, a
game-high, while sophomore Erik Copes swatted three blocks.
Leading the way for BU was Travis Robinson who scored 17
points including four 3-pointers. Both teams offenses struggled from the field,
with Mason holding a 36.4-to-28.3 percent field goal shooting advantage. The
Patriots, though, were just 2-of-16 from beyond the arc, compared to a 7-of-26
day for the Terriers.
BU led for the most of the final eight minutes of the
contest, up by four inside of three minutes remaining before the Patriots comeback
effort came to fruition. Allen hit a jumper at the 2:16 mark to cut it to
45-43, and with 42 seconds remaining, freshman Marko Gujanicic pulled down a
missed Terrier 3-pointer and was promptly fouled. In a 1-and-1 situation,
Gujanicic sank the first and hit the back end to tie the score at 45.
The Terriers needed two timeouts before they could inbound
the ball, and with 13 seconds remaining, Maurice Watson, Jr., dribbled the ball
out of bounds in front of his own bench to return possession to the Patriots.
As the game clock was close to expiring, Allen took the ball up the court and
weaved his way through the right side of the lane, hitting the game-winning
shot and converting the bonus after being fouled by Malik Thomas.
It was a game that was marked by proximity, as neither team
led by more than two possessions and there were nine ties and 12 lead changes.
BU was held without a field goal for the final three and a half minutes of the
game, while the Patriots mounted the comeback.
Next up for the Patriots is a trip to the Ocean State, where
they will take on the University of Rhode Island on Wednesday night at 8 p.m.,
in a game that will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
