Patriots sweep Dragons

Coach Larranaga was not able to end his losing streak at UNCW this season but he did end his five year drought at Drexel. Mason has now won seven of their last eight games and are still currently breathing down VCU's neck for first place. Watch highlights of the game here, courtesy of ESPN 8 "The Ocho". Not to say Mason didn't have their usual struggles on the road, late in the game with less then six minutes remaining they found themselves in a tie ball game against a team they beat by 47 in November. Folarin Campbell, who has been on a tear lately, spurred a nine-point surge that ultimately led the Patriots to victory. I don't want to jinx it but I think it's time I officially let Folarin out of the doghouse. I had been unhappy with his wild inconsistency and disappearing acts in early games this season but he has been coming up huge at a point in the season where the team needs him most. Last night he dropped 25 on the Dragons, equaling his career high. Pair that with Will Thomas' 17 and 12 effort and you will find it difficult for any CAA to beat these guys. I don't have the official numbers but I found it hard to believe that Mason loses when Campbell hits 20 or more and Thomas earns a double-double.

John Vaughan did not start, as expected, but entered the game at the first timeout and kept his double digit scoring streak alive which is currently at 15 games. This is tops in the CAA. An serious injury to a consistent guy like Vaughan would be devastating at this point in the season so it's a sigh of relief to see that he is fine. Cam Long started in JV's place and added two three-pointers, he and Campbell were the only ones to hit from behind the arch. Speaking of three-pointers, why did the Patriots only attempt 11 from there? Hasn't the three-point shot been their bread and butter this year? Dre Smith has continued to be a non-factor since his record-setting night at JMU, but luckily for the Patriots they have not needed his heroics lately. Just knowing Dre can light up at any moment is good enough for me.