Second half surge leads Patriots to victory

The night did not start off as planned in this game as the Patriots came out flat. Shot selection was poor and Mason was just plain getting out hustled by Mount St. Mary's. Then Larranaga put in his star freshmen, Cornelius and Pearson, and the tide began to turn. The freshmen duo (still working on a nickname) provided a spark for the Patriots and instantly started hitting shots and making plays on both ends. Darryl Monroe on the other hand proved in this game that he doesn't need to be the leading scorer to be a huge factor for the Patriots. Monroe's low post passing was on point again last night setting up his teammates and doing all the little things necessary to get them back on track in the 2nd half. The low post scoring was greatly picked up in the 2nd half by Birdsong and Pearson who took advantage of the Mountaineers in the front court. Monroe, Birdsong, and Pearson had a combined 34 points and 21 rebounds, most of which coming in the 2nd half. John Vaughan scored 18 of his 22 in the 2nd half as well to lead the Patriots as their defense created much easier shots down the stretch. Through the first minute of the 2nd half Mount St. Mary's Jeremy Goode already had 20 points but then Mason only allowed him to score two more points before the final buzzer. This was another victory for the Patriots with a strong defensive effort complemented by support from their younger bench players. Imagine what this team would be like if Dre Smith was hitting more shots?

Pictures and post game interviews provided by CAAZone.com: