Patriots score 47 in second half of 64-53 win at Patriot Center
When Army Sgt. James Bryant came out of the stands in boots and camouflage fatigues and hit a 3-point shot to win $200 Saturday at George Mason, he accomplished something the host Patriots hadn’t done in more than three halves of basketball.
But after a half of ugly offense and more futility from beyond the arc, Mason finally rediscovered its long, lost touch against Northeastern. Hitting three 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the second half, Mason rekindled its offense and ran past the Huskies for a 64-53 victory before a homecoming crowd of 9,840.
Drexel at GMUWhen » Wednesday, 6Where » Patriot CenterTV/Radio » FIOS1/1260 AM
Drexel (13-10, 9-5) had won eight of 10 going into a rare Sunday game against visiting Towson. One of the wins came Wednesday over Northeastern. When GMU played Drexel on Dec. 6, the Patriots had a 17-point second half lead, then held off a Drexel charge in a 56-55 win. Drexel out-rebounded Mason 41-26. Top threats are senior G Scott Rodgers (13.2 points per game) and F Evan Neisler (7.3 rpg).
Led by senior John Vaughan (16 points), who hit two of the 3-pointers, and sophomore Cam Long (14 points, 10 rebounds), who hit the other, Mason rebounded from one of its worst halves of offense this season (17 points) to put together one of its best (47 points).
“We made a little adjustment,” said Vaughan. “We understood if we kind of rotated the ball and find the open man, we could get good shots.”
Before breaking out, Mason had gone more than 68 minutes without a 3-pointer, missing 15 straight from beyond the arc, including nine in a 66-58 upset loss Thursday at Delaware.
“It’s about touches and taking quality shots,” said Vaughan. “I think a lot of our shots have been rushed.”
With the win, Mason (17-9, 10-5) avenged a 58-57 loss in Boston in which Vaughan suffered a concussion, moved into third place in the Colonial Athletic Association, and would’ve knocked Northeastern (16-9, 11-4) out of a first-place tie with VCU, but the Rams also fell Saturday, 69-65, to Old Dominion.
With GMU trailing 26-24 early in the second half, Vaughan gave Mason the lead for good with a 3-pointer that touched off a 15-3 run. Vaughan added another trey and 6-9 freshman Mike Morrison (nine points, 11 minutes) finished off the run with a layup and a pair of free throws to gave the Patriots a 39-29 lead.
“I thought ultimately the difference in the game was their defensive pressure,” said Northeastern coach Bill Coen. “They challenged us on the perimeter. We got very few quality looks at the basket. You gotta credit their defense for making that happen.”
The Huskies were led by 6-5 guard Matt Janning (13 points), but he didn’t get much help as second-leading scorer Manny Adako (6 points) was limited to 12 minutes, all in the second half.
“He’s been ill for a couple days now,” said Coen. “To his credit, he wanted to go. We just thought, if he was going to go, it was better not to start and stop him.”
Coen didn’t need the 6-8 forward until the second half. In the first, Northeastern played smothering defense, preventing Mason from getting open looks. The Patriots shot 35 percent from the floor and fell behind by as many as six points.
“We were playing so darn hard, that we couldn’t make a shot,” said Mason coach Jim Larranaga. “Sometimes when you’re working so hard, you can’t calm down. Defense is about effort, but offense is about skill.”
In the second half, the Patriots’ skill returned as they scored on 24 of 36 possessions. Forward Darryl Monroe (10 points, 5 rebounds) hit 5 of 7 shots from the floor. Morrison was 3 for 3 and starting guards Vaughan and Long combined to hit 9 of 13 as Mason played an effective inside-out game.
“When you have Darryl Monroe, when you have that kind of centerpiece, obviously you’re going to play off him,” said Coen. “He’s a terrific post passer. It serves them very well when he gets post touches.”
In the first half Northeastern was able to collapse on Monroe, but after Mason hit the 3-pointers, the Huskies defense was more scattered.
“It was a low possession game and any time you get a three, it’s more than two,” said Vaughan. “The way they play defense, they kind of pack it in inside. We did a good job getting dribble penetration.”
It was a festive atmosphere in the second half as Mason was never seriously challenged after making its big run.
“I don’t normally sweat that much during a game, but I did today,” said Mason coach Jim Larranaga. “The turnout of our students, alumni, families, friends of George Mason University, made it a very special day. The place was rockin’ and I know our guys would respond that energy and enthusiasm in the arena.”
