George Mason survives a sloppy battle against Boston U

It was a game that left many fans befuddled I'm sure; but the Patriots came out of this sloppy game with a win. Bryon Allen drove to lane and scored (pictured above) while getting fouled with 0.2 seconds remaining. Keep in mind Mason was tied after holding Boston scoreless for the last 3:32 of the game and need Allen's heroics to win 48-45. Mason held the winless Terriers to under 29% shooting from the field while only shooting around 36% themselves. So what happened? Paul Hewitt attempts to explain it in the post game interviews:

“Every once in a while, you come around a team that doesn’t understand just how good they can be. This is one of those teams,” he said. “It’s [the coaching staff’s] job to get them out of it."

“We’ve got a really good basketball team. We’ve got all the pieces, all the parts, but we have our mental lapses. We just don’t do the little things we need to do all the time.”

The Patriots started off awful in this one and never found a rhythm on offense. Only Johnny Williams reached double digits and they only got to the free-throw line for nine attempts. That coupled with 16 turnovers is what usually causes a disaster for Mason. Everyone struggled shooting the ball and not just from long range. It's like there was something in the air at the Patriot Center, just bricks everywhere.

Teams have sloppy, bad shooting nights but what I didn't like in this one was that Mason didn't seem to make any adjustments at half time. That is something that is on the coaching staff. Mason had a real advantage inside and for whatever reason could not get it going. Sherrod Wright not driving the lane and getting to the line in this one was another puzzling thing to watch. Bryon Allen proved in the last remaining seconds how easy it was to penetrate the Terriers' defense and you had to wonder were that had been the whole second half. Not to mention the Patriots barely won the rebounding battle, which is a joke considering how poorly Boston U has done so far this season.

I agree with Hewitt that this team isn't playing to their full potential but the whole "we just don't do the little things" part is on him and his staff. They didn't look prepared for this one and that is a little alarming at this point in the season. Mason in this game and the one against Mercer, were the much more superior team on paper and just didn't seem to play up to it when it was all said and done. Perhaps they are still looking for an identity this year without the veteran seniors they leaned on last season; that excuse will only last so long. Or maybe this team needed a wake up call, especially for the younger players. Better now then during the CAA schedule which could be a dogfight this season.

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[Photo by Rafael Suanes]