Patriots win CAA title
Earlier this year, George Mason coach Jim Larranaga asked his players to compare their personality types to members of the Boston Celtics. Intense Mike Morrison said he was like Kevin Garnett. Placid Cam Long said he was Ray Allen.
Thursday night at Patriot Center, however, there was nothing Allenesque about the reaction of Long when he hit his second straight 3-pointer late in the second half. Pounding his chest and exhorting a record crowd, Long had an unforgetable Senior Night, sparking Mason to a 67-61 victory over Northeastern and to its first Colonial Athletic Association regular season title in 11 years.
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| George Mason at Georgia State |
| When » Saturday, 6 p.m. |
| Where » GSU Sports Arena, Atlanta |
| Riding a nation’s best 14-game winning streak, George Mason (24-5, 15-2) has clinched the top seed in next week’s Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Georgia State (11-17, 6-7) returns home after three straight road defeats … The Panthers rotate 11 players who average at least 10 minutes per game. Eric Buckner, a 6-10 junior, is the top scorer (9.6 ppg) and rebounder (5.7 rpg) … Georgia State’s last winning season came in 2003-04 when it was in the Atlantic Sun Conference … When the teams met last month in Fairfax, Mason pulled away in the second half for a 66-51 victory behind Cam Long (18 points) … Georgia State has won the last two played in Atlanta, including last year, a loss that started a 2-8 finish for the Patriots after opening 10-1 in CAA play. |
“One thing I never really did was show emotion. I think it was because I had too much pressure on myself,” Long said. “When I knocked down those two shots it was just a relief.”
And it was a relief for Mason (24-5, 15-2), which mirrored the performance of its star, struggling deep into the game as Long missed his first seven shots. But midway through the second half, Long muscled for a put-back basket, then followed with consecutive 3-pointers, scoring eight straight points to give GMU the lead for good, 50-44.
“Senior Night, everybody wants to go out big,” said Long. “I was anxious. But it was a good thing I was capable of cooling off in the second half and being able to do what I was supposed to do to help my team win.”
The Patriots got more big work inside from 6-6 junior Ryan Pearson (18 points, 15 rebounds) who reached two career milestones — 1,000 points and 500 rebounds — on the same night.
“It starts in practice,” said Pearson. “Coach always makes a big deal about rebounding and how rebounding is so important.”
Freshman Vertrail Vaughns (11 points) sparked Mason off the bench. After Northeastern (10-19, 5-12) took its biggest lead, 42-37, Vaughns needed just 29 seconds to even it back up. First he hit a 3-pointer, then the 6-2 guard followed with a steal and a pair of free throws.
It was an uncharacteristic struggle for Mason, which hit 39.6 percent from the floor, it’s lowest figure since a December loss at Dayton, and was out-rebounded, 41-37, by a team missing its starting center, 6-10 Ryan Pierson, who had a death in the family.
“I was a little bit concerned about the kind of game it might be,” said Larranaga. “Northeastern has changed their style quite a good bit, playing with more of an emphasis on guard play, their guys hanging onto the ball and nursing the clock.”
After a crowd of 9,366 – a record for a weeknight at Patriot Center — saluted Long and senior guard Isaiah Tate in the pregame, Mason struggled from the tip-off, needing nearly 4 minutes to score. Tate (5 points) broke the ice with a 3-pointer, igniting a 9-0 run.
But the Huskies, led by sophomore guards Jonathan Lee (18 points) and Chaisson Allen (14 points, 12 rebounds), would not go away, a point brought home when Lee drained at buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the close of the first half to cut Mason’s lead to 27-22.
“They pretty much controlled the whole game,” said Long. “They kept going hard. Their effort was just up there compared to our effort.”
Seven minutes into the second half, when sophomore guard Joel Smith (9 points, 6 rebounds) hit back-to-back 3-pointers, it gave the Huskies their 42-37 lead, the cue for Mason to get serious.
“When they took that little lead, I don’t think anybody got out of hand or anything,” said Long. “I think we came more together. We came out and talked to each other, players alone, discussing, ‘It’s time to pick it up.'”
Over the next seven minutes, Long and Vaughns combined for all the Mason points. Later, Pearson took over scoring seven points in the final 4:51 as the Patriots remained in control.
The night belonged to Long, a 6-4 guard.
“He has a sense of the moment,” said Northeastern coach Bill Coen. ” He takes and makes big shots. He’s got great court presence and we saw that tonight.”
Notes » Mason’s previous high crowd for a weeknight was 8,188 for a 1985 game against Georgetown … Mason has won 14 straight, the longest streak in Division I.
