Forcing 14 turnovers, blocking eight shots, and holding Georgia State to 39 percent shooting, Mason (12-4, 4-0) took sole possession of first place in the CAA.

“We knew it was probably going to be an ugly game,” Mason coach Paul Hewitt said. “[Georgia State] played extremely hard. They played right through the whistle. They gave us a lesson in that today … We were lucky to win the game.”

Even on a night when he failed to score from the floor, Pearson (10 points) was the leader down the stretch in the physical game as he continually drove the lane, drew fouls, and hit eight of eight free throws in the final five minutes.

Sophomore guard Vertrail Vaughns (17 points) and senior forward Mike Morrison (14 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks) did the heavy lifting throughout.

“Those are Ryan Pearson numbers,” the 6-foot-9 Morrison joked of his stats, which included a career high on the boards. “I’m very happy. [We] knew it was going to be physical.” 

This one was about beating Georgia State (11-4, 3-1) at its own game. Earlier this week, the Panthers tied conference preseason favorites Drexel and VCU in knots, making a shocking statement about its potential under first-year coach Ron Hunter.

“If you told me that you play Mason, VCU, and Drexel in your first week and you come out 2-1, I wouldn’t play. I woulda taken it,” Hunter said. “We’re gonna be around to stay for a while. We’re gonna be around. These guys are mad. They’re upset. We felt like we had a chance. We know we didn’t play well.”

Confusing Mason with a variety of match-up zone defenses, Georgia State forced 19 turnovers and 37 percent shooting, showing how it has improved from perennial doormat status. The Panthers were 12-19 last season, their best record since joining the conference in 2005-06. But on Monday they toppled Drexel, 58-44, as the visitors committed 25 turnovers. Two days later in Richmond, GSU beat VCU for the first time, 55-53, holding the Rams to 27 percent shooting.

“They’re the bullies of the conference,” Morrison said. “New coach definitely has them switching their defenses around a lot more, keeping you guessing.”

Holding Georgia State to one field goal in the final 6:49 of the first half, Mason closed with a 13-2 run to turn a three-point deficit into an eight-point lead, 31-23. The Patriots forced six turnovers during the span and got three-pointers from senior guard Andre Cornelius (eight points) and Vaughns, and a traditional three-point play from sophomore point guard Bryon Allen (seven points, three assists).

Georgia State, however, answered in kind at the start of the second half, holding Mason scoreless for 5:12 to tie it up, 31-all, and set the scene for a knock down, drag out stretch run. Morrison powered for three of his distinctive two-handed slams to give Mason a 44-37 lead. But GSU seniors Ali Jihad (19 points) and James Fields (10 points, five assists) answered.

Two free throws by Jihad gave GSU its only lead of the second half, 49-48, with 2:45 left. But after that, Mason converted on its final seven possessions, making 11 of 12 free throws to finish 18 of 21 overall (85.7 percent).

“We work on them. We shoot 50 a day. We chart them,” Hewitt said.

And with a 4-0 start in the league, Mason is charting the course for another CAA regular season title, this time under Hewitt, who replaced Jim Larranaga, now at Miami. The Patriots face two tough conference tests next week, at Drexel on Thursday and at rival James Madison on Saturday night.

“If we play hard, we play strong, and we play together, it’s tough to stop us,” Vaughns said.

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