With win over Santa Clara, George Mason forces decisive game three of CBI championship

Last night was a unique experience playing the RAC, it was loud, intense, and  fun to be a part of. George Mason thrived in the environment and have now forced a decisive game three of the CBI championship. The Patriots did what they do best by starting off strong and jumping out to an early lead. But a slow start to the second half, as we have seen dozen times, made the game interesting down the stretch. The Broncos had a terrible night shooting the ball and George Mason was able to control the game by getting to the free-throw line often. Sherrod Wright bounced back from a poor game on Monday to lead the Patriots in this one. He got to the line for 17 free-throw attempts and really helped put away the game late. As a team they got to the line for 43 attempts, their highest total of the year by a wide margin. Defensively they didn't give a lot of open lots on the perimeter and as a result Santa Clara star Kevin Foster didn't become a factor until late in the second half. By that time Mason was getting to the line at will and despite missing some keys ones at the end of the game, were mostly in control.

The game wasn't as uptempo as I thought it was going to be but Mason took advantage of how the refs were calling the game. They did finish with 12 fast break points while the Broncos had zero in that area. A better shooting night from Santa Clara would have made this a totally different game. Mason closed out much better on the perimeter however the Broncos did miss a lot of open looks.

Bryon Allen and Patrick Holloway had great nights on both ends. Holloway showed some patience with his shooting and Allen attacked the rim all night. It was strange to not see Jonathan Arledge more a part of the offense after his performance on Monday night but it seems he and Sherrod take turns scoring in bunches.

Holloway threeeeee vine.co/v/bILqB1x0YJw
— gmuhoops (@gmuhoops) April 4, 2013

I wouldn't mind seeing more games at the RAC in the future. It was a more hostile environment than the Patriot Center for this particular game and the fans in attendance loved it. And while it's no match against a sold out Patriot Center it definitely should be an option for some early season games against certain opponents.

In other news, hey look former Patriot Ryan Pearson is on TMZ today.

[Photo by John Powell]

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