George Mason falls to Santa Clara in CBI championship finale

The Patriots lost a hard fought battle to Santa Clara last night in the CBI championship finale. It was a game of runs as each team traded had their moments on offense with George Mason coming up short in the closing moments. The Broncos Kevin Foster (24 points, tournament MVP) and Marc Trasolini (20 points) were too much for the Patriots in this one. Trasolini was dominate early in the second half and got Mason players into foul trouble. Foster did what he did best from behind the arch to put the Patriots away when they tried to make a comeback. Keep in mind that Kevin Foster is one hell of a dominate player was only a handful of three-attempts away from the NCAA career record. Mason still could have had this game but they didn't make the stops on defense when they needed to. The story of the season.

Read More...

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.

Read More...

George Mason falls in game one of the CBI championship at Santa Clara

George Mason lost game one last night of the CBI championship against Santa Clara 81-73. Sherrod Wright struggled mightily going 0-for-6 from the field and scoring only three points in 30 minutes of playing time. Overall it was a sloppy game on both sides and Mason couldn't take advantage of their opponents turnovers like they had been doing in other CBI games. The Broncos efficient offense build a strong first half lead and the Patriots struggled to close the gap. Jonathan Arledge (21 points) had another great night on offense but he didn't get much help until it was too late. Patrick Holloway provided a huge spark in the second half when Mason cut the lead to three. During an 11-2 Mason run Holloway scored 10 consecutive points but they couldn't slow down Santa Clara's offense enough to regain the lead. It looked like the Broncos were going to coast to victory on their three-point shooting alone but that wasn't the big issue on defense for Mason. The Broncos were able to go 21-for-25 from the free-throw line in the second half due to Mason's sloppy defense. It was too much to overcome given how poorly Mason was shooting the ball.

Read More...

George Mason is headed to the CBI finals after win over Western Michigan

George Mason took care of Western Michigan last night in the CBI semifinals on the back of Jonathan Arledge's career-high 23 points. They will now face Santa Clara in the best of three CBI finals with the location still TBD. The Patriots played very good defense in this one and limited the Broncos free-throw opportunities, which was a big key heading in. On the other side Mason got to the line a ton and went 24-for-28 from there and controlling the tempo. When they get there at this high a rate they are tough to beat, plain and simple. Bryon Allen continued his excellent month of March scoring, stealing, and dishing out assists. He finished with seven of them in this one and has averaged 7.3 per game in the CBI so far. He has been running the offense more and overall everything looks smoother.

At one point Mason went on an 18-0 with the Broncos going scoreless for nine minutes during that stretch. The outside shots weren't playing for either team but the Patriots got 22 points off the Bronco's 23 turnovers and made them pay at the foul line. It wasn't a pretty game but Mason never lost control and even won the battle in the paint. The confidence this team is showing continues and they are playing better team basketball.

Read More...

George Mason defeats Houston in OT, will host Western Michigan Wednesday in CBI semifinals

George Mason played one of their better games of the season last night in their overtime win against Houston. The Patriots opened the game on fire with a 15-0 run but you knew Houston, a high-scoring, uptempo team, would make their run to try and get back into it. They started to before the first half ended but Mason did a good job of defending the perimeter and getting to the foul line to slow down the Cougars. Sherrod Wright had 29 points and Houston didn't have an answer for him on defense all night. Bryon Allen continues to have a great March and was two rebounds and one assist short of a triple-double. Freshman Patrick Holloway and Marko Gujanicic logged a lot of minutes, which was good because that's part of the point in playing in the CBI. Both had a few miscues but they were in the game during the critical moments and both helped Mason get the victory.

Read More...

Late tip-in gets the win for George Mason over Charleston in CBI

Last night's game at Charleston started out very similar to the George Mason's last game against Northeastern. They looked great in the first half, making shots and getting a ton of points off turnovers. However it was more of the same from what we have seen on defense for the Patriots and they spent most of the second half constantly sending the Cougars to the free-throw line. But despite the breakdowns and sloppiness, Mason kept battling back and made a lot of big shots down the stretch. Both Jonathan Arledge and Bryon Allen hit key three-pointers but Mason didn't get the lead back that they squandered until the final tip-in by Erik Copes. It was an impressive night on offense for the Patriots as they finished with 29 points off turnovers and saw all their starters finish in double figures. More importantly they finally won in those black jerseys!

Better look at final winning tip in by Erik Copes vine.co/v/bpD9jbiAApr
— gmuhoops (@gmuhoops) March 20, 2013

He is a more detailed looked at the final sequence that led to the winning tip-in for George Mason:

Read More...

A disastrous but fitting end to George Mason's season

At one point in the first half yesterday George Mason had a built a 31-7 lead over #1 seed Northeastern. Impressive considering how well the Huskies took care of the Patriots during the regular season. Mason came out strong and played solid defense in the beginning, making most say 'where has this been all year?'. But I guess we should have known it was too good to be true. Anyone who has seen this team play this year cannot be surprised by what happened in Richmond yesterday. A team that has for most of the year would have moments where they looked like there in control one moment and than quickly switch to immediate disarray in a blink of an eye. The meltdown was very similar to their 20-point blown lead against Drexel in late January. Despite shooting 64% from the field Mason still managed the epic collapse. How bad was Mason's defense, well Northeastern went on a 26-2 run in less than seven minutes to quickly erase the deficit early in the second half. Later, Mason was up 67-61 and ended up being down 69-67 without taking a shot during that stretch. How does that even happen?

Read More...

George Mason survives against Drexel, moves on to face Northeastern in CAA semifinals

It was a physical game and George Mason survived for the win late with Drexel making a run. Bryon Allen was easily Mason's MVP today and had 16 points but more importantly 6 steals. They were momentum changing steals and we collectively saw Mason play one of their best defensive games of the season. Sherrod Wright came up big and take over early in the second half. He was attacking the rim and getting to the line often. He and Allen were too much to handle for Drexel's back court in the end. The Patriots did a good job on Drexel's leading scorer Damion Lee and didn't let him get going at any point. 

Read More...

George Mason falls to Towson in OT, first loss to Tigers in 20-game span

Tell me if this sounds familiar, George Mason losses at home and the opposing team has a player record a career-high? The Patriots suffered their first ever loss to Towson since they joined the CAA in 2001 and snapped their 20-game overall win streak over them. Mason hasn't been this bad at home since the '06-'07 season. To put things in perspective their home record between the 2007-2008 and the 2011-2012 seasons was 67-7; their home record his year is 7-6. Also, their home record for CAA games this year is 4-5. The last time George Mason lost that many conference games at home was during Jim Larranaga's first year as head coach in 1997-1998 season.

Jerrelle Benimon destroyed the Patriots and got 22 of his career-high 31 points in the first half. Mason held him scoreless for a long period in the second and half and mounted their comeback, very similar to last Saturday's game against William & Mary. But this time they fell short in overtime. Erik Copes had a career night as well but Mason really could have used more of Sherrod Wright, especially late in the game. Copes' hard work was a big factor all night and he added 13 points to go along with his 15 rebounds. He and Jonathan Arledge gave the Patriots a good attack in the front court but it wasn't enough to make up for their poor efforts on defense. Benimon got way too much freedom in the first half and Towson was in control almost the entire game.

Read More...

George Mason routs Hofstra

George Mason cruised past Hofstra last night 79-50, a game that was never in doubt for the Patriots and one where the Pride shot under 27% from the field. Hofstra came out of the gates going 0-for-10 and finished the first half with 4-27. The halftime would have been more lopsided if not for Mason's constant fouling. Erik Copes posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and had an uncharacteristic 5-7 night from the free-throw line. Jonathan Arledge took advantage of the Hofstra missing their best inside man, Stephen Nwaukoni, and finished with 20 points. Arledge also went 3-for-3 from behind the three-point line. Prior to last night he had only made two three-pointers the whole season. This was Mason's fourth straight CAA road victory and now they will need to build off it. They now have their last three remaining games to try to move into that second or third seed in the conference tournament bracket.

Read More...

George Mason run out of Patriot Center on Homecoming

It has been rare to see George Mason never in the game on Homecoming Saturday but they were routed on their home floor against Georgia State yesterday. Mason hadn't lost a home CAA by this big of a margin in 11 years and have now lost their last three home conference games. The combination of Mason's poor perimeter defense, turnovers, and Georgia State's hot shooting led to this game unraveling quickly. The Panthers had 51 points at the half and Mason had nothing going on offense except for Sherrod Wright.

Read More...

George Mason rallies past Drexel

The Patriots got an important road win last night at Drexel after being down by eight points. You never know where the bursts on offense are going to come from with this group and last night it happened to be Vertrail Vaughns. He poured on a season-high 14 points and Mason overcame their turnover prone first half to get the win. The Dragons ended up with 22 points off the Patriots 14 turnovers. However Mason rallied back in the second half by scoring 46 points and by getting to the free-throw line. They had only five free-throw attempts in the first half but got to the line for 20 attempts in the second, making 17 of them. Philadelphia native Erik Copes had one of his best games scoring 12 points and grabbing 8 rebounds along with two blocked shots. Sherrod Wright and Jonathan Alredge had a combined 19 points but with four players in double figures it was a good night for the Patriots offense. We even had a Vaughn Gray sighting, who hadn't seen the court since January 27 at Northeastern.

Read More...

George Mason drops another home CAA game, losses to Delaware

George Mason never led on their home court against Delaware on Saturday and suffered their third conference home loss of the season. The Patriots last lost to the Blue Hens on their home court 11 years ago. Foul trouble was a big problem in this one and there was some very questionable officiating but the fact remains that Delaware hit their shots and Mason didn't. It was also another home game where the Patriots fell asleep on defense for stretches and yielded a ton of open looks. The offense reverted back to what we saw a lot during this season, a lot of sputtering and disarray. Essentially, Sherrod Wright had a terrible shooting day from the field and Mason just couldn't get anything going as a result. Jon Arledge started off hot but cooled down a lot in the second when play seemed to get even more choppy.

Read More...

George Mason handles ODU for the last time as a CAA foe

Jonathan Arledge posted another career-high last night, 21 points, and helped George Mason complete the season sweep of Old Dominion. With the Monarchs headed to Conference USA next year this was the last meeting of the two programs as CAA opponents, although I imagine they will keep the series alive. The Patriots won this one by dominating the boards and their efforts since the disaster against Drexel have been much improved. As bad as ODU has been this season it was still very encouraging to see Mason's sometimes choppy offense build a big lead in the second half without much of anything from Sherrod Wright. And while Wright didn't reach double digits for only the third time this season, Mason may have found their prime second scoring option in Arledge. Last night Arledge became the only other Mason player besides Wright this season to score 10 or more points in three consecutive games. He can be tough to defend when he gets going, his long arms allow him to score from multiple sports on the floor and in transition. He's also one of the reasons for the Patriots big success from the foul line recently. Over the last three games Mason has gone 57 for 68 from the line (83.8%), with Arledge going a perfect 17-17 from there in that span. I've been saying all season that their biggest strength on offense is getting to the line often and converting and they will need to keep this up to have any chance of winning the CAA this season.

Read More...

George Mason bounces back with road win at JMU

George Mason bounced back from an awful game versus Drexel to continue their winning streak over James Madison. They have now beaten JMU nine straight times, so at least that hasn't changed in the Paul Hewitt era so far. A pleasant surprise for the Patriots was the play late in the game from Jon Arledge, who scored a career-high 19 points. Arledge also hit two clutch free-throws down the stretch when Sherrod Wright was shook up after a flagrant foul and couldn't take the shots himself. Mason rebounded the ball much better and got a ton of second chance opportunities. I'm guessing the team made this a focal point of their practices after their poor efforts against Drexel. It turned out to be the difference in the game as the Dukes were making a serious run in the second half.

Read More...

George Mason blows 20 point lead in loss to Drexel

George Mason has lived and died by the play of Sherrod Wright this season. When he was shut out of the second half last night against Drexel, the outcome was inevitable. The Patriots blew a 20 point lead on their home court and for the second year in a row got torched by Drexel's Damion Lee. Lee scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half, while Sherrod Wright disappeared after scoring 13 in the first half. All this after shooting 54% from the field in the first half. They didn't allow a Dragons field goal in the first seven minutes either. However rebounding and a scoring drought was a the big killer for the Patriots in this one. The Dragons dominated the glass and got numerous second chance points on offense. Johnny Williams being out with a concussion certainly didn't help but I doubt him being in the lineup would have done much different as Mason was simply outworked. The offense just couldn't get anything going without Sherrod Wright and if not for Jon Arledge probably wouldn't even have been in the game late.

Read More...

Northeastern once again takes care of George Mason

Just when we thought this George Mason team was starting to find some consistency on offense, they have another game like last night where they again looked lost. Northeastern routed the Patriots and outworked them on both ends. Very similar to the two teams last meeting in Fairfax. Mason had one of their worst performances on offense of the season, and we've seen a whole lot of bad in that department already this year. The new look lineup of Corey Edwards, Bryon Allen, and Sherrod Wright failed to do any real damage. The play from the front court players was so awful the offense went through numerous droughts that included a lot of missed layups and close shots. The sloppy hands this group killed numerous opportunities for Mason to convert turnovers into points. Erik Copes had an especially awful night and Johnny Williams would get fed in the post, and then look completely lost. Keep in mind we are 20 games into the season at this point.

Read More...

Bryon Allen rejoins starting lineup, sparks George Mason's offense against Towson

Paul Hewitt finally took Anali Okoloji out of the starting lineup last night against Towson, and the result was a  better start on offense that set the pace for the rest of the night. I had previously talked about how I thought Corey Edwards and Bryon Allen sharing the court together could be the Patriots best options on offense. Last night they played together, along with Sherrod Wright, and looked a lot more dangerous on offense as a whole. Wright and Allen were cutting to the basket with ease and getting to the line. Allen had two ridiculous layups, one being an alley-oop that made Sportscenter (video below). Mason led for most of the game before sealing the 10 point victory. Also, Marko Gujanicic has come alive and is contributing a ton on offense. Both he and Allen could emerge as the second scorers on this team but we'll need to see some more consistency. On defense the Patriots frustrated Jerrelle Benimon, who had been playing like a conference player of the year to date. They held him below his averages on points and rebounds and it was the difference in the game. 

Read More...

George Mason wins another foul happy affair

This years George Mason is getting more consistent, but just not in the areas that a coach would like to see.  They have let countless teams hang around in games they did not have any business hanging around in  this year. The main reason for this has been because they send teams to the foul line at an alarming rate. Saturday against Hofstra was another prime example. The Pride shot 22.9% from the field but were able to stay in the game late because of the Patriots fouling. Sherrod Wright was again big for Mason and Corey Edwards continued to keep the pace for Mason, although it wasn't a great pace on offense. Still, the two did what was needed in order to get the win at home and secure third place in the CAA.
Read More...

George Mason continues dominance over James Madison

George Mason bounced back after an awful performance Saturday to continue their home dominance over James Madison. The Dukes haven't won at the Patriot Center since 2003 and Mason has beaten them in their last eight meetings. Bad as Mason has played at times this season at least they kept their winning streak over JMU alive. What was different last night compared to the loss at UNCW was that Mason took control of the boards, especially on the offensive glass and Sherrod Wright had a big night getting to the free-throw line. Also, they got a lift from freshman Marko Gujanicic, who posted his first career double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds). He showed glimpses of the strong play we saw from him in the beginning of that season and even knocked down a few three-pointers. The Patriots' perimeter defense was an issue again in the first half but they held the Dukes to no three-pointers in the second half. The Dukes' offense struggled without much of a perimeter game and Mason took advantage.  

Read More...