Broadside Sports

Cody Norman, Staff Writer

After 18 consecutive Colonial Athletic Association victories at the Patriot Center, the George Mason Patriots men’s basketball team dropped their third straight home game on Saturday afternoon in a nail-biting 50-48 finish to the Northeastern Huskies.

The Patriots conclude the regular season with a 17-13 overall record and a 12-6 conference record, while the Huskies improved to 19-11 overall and 14-4 in the CAA.
Mason held a slim 48-45 advantage with 25 seconds left to play when senior guard Matt Janning canned a deep range 3-pointer to knot the game at 48.

The Patriots held the ball at the top of the key as the clock wound down before freshman forward Luke Hancock made a strong move toward the rim.

Hancock’s shot rimmed out and a missed dunk attempt by sophomore Mike Morrison allowed Northeastern one last desperation heave with five seconds to go. Junior Chaisson Allen pulled up short of the 3-point line and drew a questionable foul call on Patriots’ sophomore forward Ryan Pearson.
Allen knocked down two of three free throws with less than one second to go to seal the deal for the Huskies.

“I thought we did everything we needed to do except win,” said Head Coach Jim Larranaga. “We defended them well, we rebounded well, [but] handed a few too many turnovers in the first half that gave them scoring opportunities. It was a close game, as it’s been throughout the season.”

Pearson scored 11 points for the Patriots while snagging six rebounds in over 34 minutes of work, and Morrison added eight points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort. Both teams had a slow start, combining for eight points after seven minutes of play. But Mason went on a 7-0 run to gain the early 13-6 advantage.

The Huskies rallied back with six consecutive points to cut the lead to 13-12. Freshman guard Sherrod Wright continued his strong play as of late and provided Mason with a spark off the bench.
On back-to-back possessions in the closing minutes of the first half, Wright threw the hammer down on two separate defenders for four of his team-high 13 points.

Wright’s second posterizer came at the 5:41 mark to extend Mason’s lead to six points at 18-12.
In the last five minutes of the first half, the Patriots shot just 1-of-7, while the Huskies closed out the half on a 9-2 run to take a 21-20 lead.

Trailing 28-25 four minutes into the second half, Mason went on a 6-0 run to take a 31-28 lead.
After a back-and-forth battle throughout the second half, Mason started to pull away at 46-42 with one minute left in regulation.

Struggling to shoot crucial free throws at the end of the game previously, Mason was able to come through down the stretch. Hancock made both free throws, and Pearson followed through with 33 seconds left to give Mason a 48-45 lead.

Coming out a timeout, Janning dribbled past a screen and launched a 30-foot 3-pointer and tied the ballgame at 48-all as the shot was nothing but net, silencing the Mason crowd. The Patriots looked for a final chance to win as Hancock drove to the hoop with the seconds ticking; Morrison attempted to put back Hancock’s miss, but unsuccessfully doing so allowed the Huskies to dribble downcourt and lob a desperation shot.

Allen leaned in for his last-second shot; trailing behind, Pearson attempted to put a hand on the ball and was called for the foul. Allen made two free throws to send Mason to its third consecutive home loss.
The Patriots have lost four of their last five matchups, but will hold a top four seed in next weekend’s CAA Tournament in Richmond.

Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer

The men’s volleyball team started off a long weekend with a loss against the No. 15 Lewis Flyers in a non-conference match. Mason fell short in three sets (21-30, 21-30, 28-30).

Lewis improved its record to 8-2 while the Patriots dropped to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in conference matches.
After beating the Saint Francis Red Flash in four sets (30-23, 24-30, 30-26, 30-25) and falling to the Juniata Eagles in three close sets (30-28, 32-30, 30-28) on the road, the Patriots could not pull off the victory against the Flyers.

The Flyers led throughout the first set and the majority of the second set, but Mason challenged the nationally ranked team in the third set, as the teams battled through five ties.

“I think we came out a little flat,” said junior outside hitter Eric Lucas. “Every time that we brought it back, it seems like we made an error and we let them get ahead of the game. We didn’t continue our momentum.”

The Patriots were led by sophomore outside hitter Andrew Dentler with 10 kills and Lucas with eight kills. The Mason offense was inconsistent compared to the Flyers.

The Flyers were led by Nathan Klaas with 13 kills and only three attack errors. Teammate Ian Karbiener had 11 kills and only one error. Lewis had only 11 total attack errors, whereas the Patriots committed a total of 26.

“They have really good attackers and we didn’t get as many blocks,” said Lucas. “They have good [middle blockers] and their [outside hitters] were putting the ball around the block. They were more efficient.”

Blocking and attacking were the differences in the match. The Patriots were not as successful as the Flyers in both areas.

Lewis outhit the Patriots with a .427 hitting percentage, as opposed to Mason’s match average of .198.

The Patriots could not overcome the offensive attack from the Flyers early on. Lewis posted attack percentages of .615 and .500 in the first two sets.

Mason was also out-blocked in the three-set loss. The
Patriots had a total team block of 5.5; the Flyers had 10.5 total blocks.

Sophomore middle blocker Shaun Sibley, who had seven kills without making an error, had a team high of three block assists. Classmate Dentler contributed with three block assists for the Patriots.

Aside from the struggles on both sides of the court, Mason was trying to find the balance between the experienced players and the new faces on court.
“Today, a bunch of our freshmen played for the first time ever,” said Lucas. “I think once they get a little bit of experience, I think they will be pretty good.

Hopefully they will get more comfortable playing with us, and we will get more comfortable playing with them.”

Freshman outside hitter Michael Kvidahl had four kills and a .400 hitting percentage, and freshman setter Javier Perez recorded a team-high 38 assists and added three kills.

The Patriots are on the road next weekend to start off the Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic Tournament facing the Ohio State Buckeyes at Springfield, Mass.

Josh Apple, Connect2Mason Reporter

The word “ice” around George Mason University garners thoughts of the blizzard conditions, the slippery roads and sidewalks around campus and a four-day miniature winter break. However, for 20 Mason students, the word “ice” means only one thing: hockey.

Unbeknownst to most students, the Mason club ice hockey team exists and is on the rise. Unlike the roller hockey team, which was founded just two years ago, the ice hockey squad has been around for about a decade. The club had a slow start but has quickly gained momentum this year in terms of interest and talent level.

Erik Gibbons, a 23-year-old graduate student from Fairfax, said, “Historically, [Mason] has been one of the worst teams in whichever league we play in, that is until this season.”

The team competes in the Blue Ridge Hockey Conference, which is comprised of the Atlantic, Carolina and Colonial Divisions. Mason is in the Atlantic, along with Catholic, JMU, Northern Virginia Community College, Radford, Virginia Military Institute and William & Mary.

The squad is currently fourth out of the eight teams with a conference record of 8-5, including sweeps of NVCC and VMI. Overall, they have a solid record of 8-8. Despite their average standing in the conference, they have the ability and motivation necessary to beat any team on any given night.

“Last year, we ended with just one win, and the season before that we didn’t win any games,” Gibbons said. “But now we have a new coaching staff and we have more wins this season than the entire three years prior.”
Despite their previous struggles, the team is heading in the right direction. With a new coaching staff, the most wins in school history and interest from at least eight new players for next year, the days of one-win seasons are history. Even the attitudes among the players are different this year.

“This is without a doubt the most committed and fun [Mason] team on which I have played,” Gibbons said. “I’m really proud of this team.”

Gibbons has been a solid contributor this year, cashing in with four goals and 10 assists. He learned how to skate when he was just 4 years old, and became a certified hockey referee at the age of 11. He played briefly for Lake Braddock High School before founding Fairfax High School’s squad in 2004.

Matt McVay, 22, out of Fairfax leads the squad statistically. He has contributed 11 goals and nine assists this season. He began playing roller hockey at the age of 6 and converted to the ice at 12. His junior hockey career began when he was 16 and continued into his years at Mason. Most recently, he played for the Virginia Express B Team travel squad. Once he aged out of junior hockey at the age of 20, he began playing for the Patriots. As an experienced competitor, he quickly earned a leadership role on the team.

“This is the first year I took over as team president and we are really headed in the right direction,” McVay said. “We have some good recruits coming in next year and I think we can challenge for the top spots in the league.”

Another major contributor to the team is Chris Shrieves, 22. Not only does he have eight goals, but he has assisted on five others as well. He went to his first Washington Capitals game when he was just 7 years old, and has been playing hockey ever since. He played for Christopher Newport University before transferring to Mason during his junior year. He joined the team during the season last year and says he has loved every minute of it.

“My goal is the same at the beginning of every season no matter what team I’m playing for, and that’s to do whatever I can and need to do to help the team win,” Shrieves said. “At this moment, my goal, and hope, is that we have a good playoff run because we’re coming on at just the right time. I’d love to end my collegiate playing career on a good note.”

Just as much as he would like to have a deep playoff run, Shrieves would like to see more support from the Mason students. He hopes that the Capitals’ recent success will generate more hockey fans in the Washington, D.C. area.

“We’re fielding a playoff caliber team with some great talent, and hockey is such an amazing sport to not only play, but also to watch,” Shrieves said. “I think if the word got around that Mason not only has a team, but also a pretty talented team that plays relatively close to campus, hockey could, and should, be huge here.”

Between the posts for the Patriots are Alex Spitzel, a 22-year-old from Chantilly, and Keelan Carpenter, a 19-year-old out of Chicago. Like Gibbons and Shrieves, Spitzel is in his fourth and final year of eligibility. He began playing hockey when he was 10 years old, and played for Chantilly High School.

“I have so many great memories with these guys, but what I’ll remember the most is the bonding that takes place on road trips in the hotel,” Spitzel said.

The squad plays its games at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Mt. Vernon, Prince William Ice Arena and Reston Skatequest. They have also traveled to Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Richmond and Roanoke within Virginia, as well as several trips to Maryland and North Carolina.

In addition to playing games, the team practices twice each week, typically on Mondays and Wednesdays. The Monday practice is all about running drills, nailing down fundamentals and developing strategies. The Wednesday practice is devoted to scrimmaging to develop chemistry within the lines.

Defenseman Chris Christopher, 19, said, “Our coaches are always challenging us because they know that a hard practice will result in success during games.”

Like many of his teammates, Christopher began playing hockey at an early age. He grew up in a small town in Illinois that had little other than an ice rink. He later moved to Virginia and played for West Springfield High School. He remembers taking a tour of Mason during his high school years and seeing an outdated ice hockey banner in the Johnson Center.

“Although the vast majority of Mason students have no idea that there’s a hockey team, I think many people would be interested if they just saw ‘[Mason] Hockey’ posted somewhere obvious,” Christopher said. “Even some small flyers hung up in the JC or in the field house would catch someone’s attention.”

Although the squad continues to operate below the radar, the future is bright. As the Capitals continue their success and the Winter Olympics roll on in Vancouver, the players feel now is the time to generate support for Mason ice hockey.

“We are too good of a team to ignore at Mason,” Spitzel said. “It’s a fun sport. If we could just market the team better and have people come out to some games, we could have a big fan base and a big name on campus.”

Player forms and contact information can be found on the George Mason Ice Hockey website, http://www.gmuhockey.com/ice. Also, there is a “Support GMU Hockey!” page on Facebook with just eight members presently.

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

Overview: Entering last week, the women’s basketball team lost its eighth consecutive and the 13th of its past 14 games after falling to the Old Dominion Monarchs on Sunday at the Patriot Center, 66-52. The George Mason University Patriots continued to struggle in the Colonial Athletic Association, winning just one of 13 conference games, and holding a conference-worst 8-16 overall record. The team will take on the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Patriot Center. The Seahawks entered the week with a 9-15 overall record and 4-9 conference record.

Mason: The Patriots came up short in Wilmington two weeks ago, coming back from a nine-point halftime deficit to cut the lead to one point several times. But in the end, the Seahawks spoiled Mason’s rally with a 3-pointer which beat the shot clock buzzer. Junior guard Brittany Poindexter had a solid performance, tallying 15 points and grabbing five rebounds, including four offensive boards. Poindexter is the team leader with 12.4 points per game, and she ranks third on the team with 4.7 rebounds per game. Mason won all seven home games in non-conference play, but since then, the team’s performance on its home court has been sub-par, recording just one win in six games.

UNC-Wilmington: Despite holding the second-worst overall record in the CAA, the Seahawks have not played like a team in the cellar. The Seahawks rank 10th in scoring defense, but the team has lost by an average margin of 0.5 points. UNC-Wilmington has kept up with the conference’s top teams, nearly topping the Monarchs earlier this month. On Sunday, Feb. 14, the Seahawks shocked the James Madison Dukes 70-67 at Trask Coliseum. Even though the Seahawks committed 19 turnovers in the game, the team held the Dukes’ star player Dawn Evans to just 6-of-22 shooting. Junior guard/forward Brittany Blackwell served as the catalyst, averaging team-highs with 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Blackwell also leads the Seahawks with 62 steals for the season. The Seahawks, however, won its last meeting with the Patriots, thanks to a clutch performance from an unsung hero. Senior guard Whitney Simmons drained a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in the game.

Chris Demarco, Staff Writer

5. The Uncapped Year
The National Football League and the NFL Player Association’s Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in March, and with that comes an uncapped year. What this means is that there will be absolutely no salary cap, much like what Major League Baseball has. What could come of this problem is many top-tier free agents will demand more money than they probably deserve because they know they can get it with no salary cap.

What we could see is a team that is not afraid to spend a lot of money (a la the Washington Redskins) on these free agents. Some teams, like the Pittsburgh Steelers, have already stated that they will use a self-imposed salary cap so they can keep a level playing field.

Hopefully, some sort of agreement will be made to prevent an uncapped year from happening.

4. What Will Mike Shanahan and the Redskins Do?
The Redskins are coming off another horrible season in which they went a pathetic 4-12. They fired Head Coach Jim Zorn and hired Mike Shanahan, assuming that he will be their savior. With a possible uncapped year, will owner Daniel Snyder open up the checkbook and spend his team’s problems away, which he seems to believe actually works? Will they keep or cut quarterback Jason Campbell and running back Clinton Portis? In what direction will Shanahan want his team to go in the draft? Maybe they will use the number four pick on quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford of the Oklahoma Sooners and essentially start over.

3. Big Names, Different Places?
A lot of premier players could possibly find themselves in different situations next year. Defensive end Julius Peppers, formerly of the Carolina Panthers, is the prized free agent who could end up anywhere from the Redskins to the New England Patriots. Home-wrecking wide receiver Terrell Owens will be looking for a new home, and could end up with the Cincinnati Bengals. If the San Diego Chargers decide to part ways with future Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson, where will he possibly go? Teams like the Redskins could come calling. Could the Philadelphia Eagles part ways with running back Brian Westbrook after eight injury-plagued seasons? With other top free agents, like linebackers Karlos Dansby and Keith Bullock, the league is in for a very aggressive offseason.

2. The Eagles’ Quarterback Situation
The Eagles have a problem that all the other teams in the league wish they could have. In Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick and the unproven Kevin Kolb, they have three quarterbacks who could start. Many NFL insiders believe that the Eagles will listen to any offer, and will probably trade away at least one or two of their quarterbacks. Vick wants to start, and the Buffalo Bills and St. Louis Rams have expressed interest in his services. Kolb is believed to be the heir-apparent in Philadelphia, but could end up being the quarterback of the future somewhere else, with the Cleveland Browns aggressively pursuing. Then there is the greatest quarterback in Eagles history, McNabb. Head Coach Andy Reid says that McNabb will be the starter next year, and all signs at this point seem to be staying that way.

1. Will He Stay or Will He Finally Go?
The annual “Will Brett Favre Retire or Continue Playing” saga, part 10, has begun. It is the same old story every offseason. It seems like Favre is going to come back, but he probably will not come to a decision until, at the earliest, before the April draft. He also may keep us in suspense until the beginning of the preseason. We can only wait, and with ESPN running out of content, it is going to be a top story for the next couple months.

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

Overview: The baseball team started its 2010 campaign in Rock Hill, S.C., taking on the Northwestern Wildcats and host Winthrop Eagles. Coming off a successful 42-win season, Mason earned a trip to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. Mason will host the Monmouth Hawks, the defending Northeast Conference baseball champions, this weekend. Mason kicks off the home opener at Spuhler Field on Friday at 2:30 p.m. and wraps up the three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Mason: The Patriots enter the 2010 season with a new outlook, having lost six of its players to the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft last June. Senior second baseman Ryan Soares, a preseason All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, returns at the keystone position as one of the team leaders this year. In his two years at Mason, Soares has posted identical numbers across the board, but last year, he hit 11 home runs — four more than his total from 2008. In turn, he improved his slugging percentage from .473 to .559. Mason ended its season on a sour note, losing its final four games.

Nonetheless, the team won 24 of 26 games at one point and compiled a 42-14 overall record. Last season, Mason posted a 25-3 home record.

Monmouth: The Hawks, picked to finish second in the NEC, established a high-octane offense, notching 445 runs and 636 hits last season. The team lost two of its standout players to the draft, both picked for top-10 round selections. Junior outfielder Nick Pulsonetti, a First-Team All-NEC as a designated hitter in 2008, will be one of the Hawks’ key power generators after batting .355 with 11 home runs last year. Pulsonetti ranked second on the team with a .610 slugging percentage and was one of four players to post a .400 on-base percentage; consequently, he led the Hawks with a 1.029 on-base plus slugging percentage. While the Hawks have lost the nucleus of their roster, the team looks to remain competitive in the NEC.

John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor

As I was sitting in my hotel room in Baltimore, Md., I watched the Old Dominion Monarchs get dismantled by the Northern Iowa Panthers in the opening game of the ESPN BracketBusters event. I watched the William & Mary Tribe fall to the Iona Gaels. I watched the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs beat the Northeastern Huskies at Northeastern University.

I finally watched the George Mason Patriots lose to the College of Charleston Cougars on homecoming night.
Needless to say, it has not been a good few days for the conference. VCU was the only team in the Colonial Athletic Association to win its BracketBuster, and was one of only three conference teams to win over the weekend.

The CAA has touted how well it performs in televised games. This event however proved something quite contrary.

I have said that the only way for the CAA to get an at-large bid in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament was for the losing team in the conference’s tournament to do well against quality non-conference teams. The CAA performed well at the beginning of the season, but the top conference teams have been performing terribly as of late.

Some teams have been hampered by injuries, some by foul-outs at the end of the game and some have just played poorly.

Good players have gone cold, like junior guard Cam Long’s two-point game at Georgia State. Long was held to a mere 10 (mere for him that is) points for homecoming.

This has given the opportunity for some new players to have breakout seasons. Freshman forward Luke Hancock was electric under the basket in Puerto Rico.

Fellow freshman forward Johnny Williams had a career night in the BracketBuster against College of Charleston, coming off the bench to score a career-high 18 points.

For any team from the CAA to find an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, they will need to be electric in these next two weeks, and especially on fire in the postseason. No one is automatically in at this point; they need to make a case for their postseason lives.

Mason had a good game against College of Charleston. The Cougars had as much as an 11-point lead in the second half.

ESPN’s Jon Sciambi referred to the event as “high scoring [and] offensively entertaining.” Of course it was!
There were 166 points in the game, made by the game’s best, and relative no-names, from Cougar Tony White, Jr. to Mason’s own Williams.

It has taken a while, but in that game, Mason finally figured out its scoring problem, tallying 80 points for the first time since winning at Towson.

With the big man, sophomore forward Mike Morrison, still out of the lineup, Mason was unable to rely on a big man defensively. And with a minor injury to sophomore forward Ryan Pearson, Mason was unable to rely on one of their top scorers.

Hopefully, when the lineup is back to normal — I use that term loosely, since three players are out for the season with injuries — Mason can return to their usual potent offense.

It seems to me that Mason will fare far better next season, losing only one player, Louis Birdsong, to graduation. Long will come into running his team in his senior year, and the team’s freshmen are getting valuable experience that will be put to good use next year.

Donald O’Mahony, Staff Writer

With the World Cup fast approaching, the United States continues to have injury problems. Charlie Davies, Clint Dempsey and Oguchi Onyewu are all currently injured and questionable for this summer.

There is still hope that they will be on the field to face England on June 12, but a backup plan needs to be in place. Although Head Coach Bob Bradley is not required to announce his team anytime soon, here are a few players who might be called on to make a difference.

Jay DeMerit – The Wisconsin native has built a good reputation in the national team over the last year and might be in consideration for a starting spot even if Onyewu is healthy. He debuted for the national team in 2007 and started all five matches in the run to the Confederations Cup Final in 2009. If Onyewu is fit, DeMerit will battle with team captain Carlos Bocanegra for the other spot at center defense. However, if Onyewu cannot go, he could be lining up against Wayne Rooney in a few months. It is a difficult task for any defender, but he will need to be ready.

Stuart Holden – The fate of the Americans might depend on whether or not Clint Dempsey is healthy. He is responsible for creating a lot of chances and would be sorely missed if he cannot come back in time. That being said, Holden has the potential if it comes down to him. He has two goals and three assists in his first 11 appearances for the national team. He has shown the ability to create chances from nothing in clutch situations. If you need proof, just check out his game-tying goal against Haiti during second half stoppage time. Having recently moved to England to join Bolton Wanderers, his confidence must be at an all-time high.

That could be useful if the Americans are missing Dempsey’s swagger this summer.

Robbie Rogers – Rogers is another option for Bradley if he needs someone to fill in for Dempsey. He has nine appearances with one goal and three assists for the national team, most memorably assisting on Jonathan Bornstein’s goal that gave the U.S. the top spot in their region during the World Cup qualifying period. He is a speedy player with the ability to use both feet well, which could make him a valuable player to have on the field for set pieces. Even if Rogers is not starting, he is the type of player that could come off the bench and make an impact on the game.

Conor Casey – Ever since Charlie Davies’ tragic car accident, Bradley has often chosen Casey to partner Jozy Altidore in the attack. A big target at over six feet, he has the strength to hold the ball with a defender on his back. Casey made his first appearance for the national team in 2004 and has two goals in nine total matches.

He also scored 16 goals in 24 games for the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer in 2009, good for second in the league. Although he has a different style than Davies, he can be just as effective in front of the goal.

These are just a few of the players who might need to step forward if the regular starters do not recover in time. Even if they do not earn a starting spot, there is still the possibility of making the team that goes to South Africa. The competition for one of the final roster spots will push these players to be at their best when June comes around.

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

Overview:
Saturday’s matchup between the George Mason University Patriots and the Northeastern Huskies may provide a preview of a potential late-round matchup in the upcoming Colonial Athletic Association Tournament as both teams look to stay in the top four of the conference.

Mason has been just 1-4 in the month of February, relinquishing its lead atop the conference while the Huskies remain in a neck-to-neck battle with the Old Dominion Monarchs for first place. After losing to the William & Mary Tribe on Tuesday, Mason dropped to 16-11 overall and 11-5 in the CAA; the Huskies entered Saturday’s ESPN BracketBuster game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs with an 18-9 overall record and 13-3 conference record. The game will tip off at noon.

Mason:
The Patriots are coming off a tough home loss to the Tribe, bringing its 18-game home conference winning streak to a halt and also ending its nine-game home winning streak. Mason has generally dominated at the Patriot Center, winning 25 of the past 26 home games prior to last Tuesday, but the team will have to deal with a tough customer in the Huskies on Saturday in its home finale for the 2010 season.

Last year, Mason defeated the Huskies in its Homecoming game 64-53. Junior guard Cam Long notched his second-career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. But Mason’s star player has struggled lately, being held to below 10 points in the two games prior to Mason’s bout with the College of Charleston Cougars last Saturday.

While Long looks to get back on track, the team will also have to find a way to win in order to earn a first-round bye in the CAA Tournament.

Northeastern:
The Huskies had its season cut short last year, falling to the Towson Tigers in a stunning upset during the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament. Northeastern started the 2010 season with a 2-7 record, but since Dec. 25, the Huskies went on an 11-game tear and won its first eight conference games. In addition to sweeping the season series over the defending conference champion VCU Rams in that span, the Huskies walloped the Patriots 71-46 in Boston on Jan. 7.

Guard Chaisson Allen tied a career-high six 3-pointers en route to a game-high 20 points. Allen, Northeastern’s deep threat, leads the team with a 45.8 3-point field goal percentage. The Huskies will be an even bigger threat with its Big Three, composed of Allen, guard Matt Janning and forward Manny Adako.

This season, the Big Three is averaging a combined 13.5 points per game as opposed to 12 points per game last year.

John Kleeb, Staff Writer

The George Mason Patriots (16-12, 11-5) came up short against the College of Charleston Cougars (19-9, 13-3) on Saturday night in a heartbreaking 85-83 loss on Homecoming night at the Patriot Center.

“I think [the BracketBuster] is a tremendous concept; I think it gives a lot of juice to the weekend where a lot of teams are fired up to showcase their talents,” said Larranaga. “I thought the game itself was extremely entertaining and well-played. I was thrilled to see the crowd cheering for us wildly during the game.”

The enthusiastic crowd pleased Cougars Head Coach Bobby Cremins, who said after the game that he was impressed with the atmosphere at the Patriot Center as well as young Mason players such as forwards Luke Hancock, Johnny Williams and guard Sherrod Wright, all who had a major impact on the game and all who scored over 10 points.

The freshmen accounted for 53 of Mason’s 83 points in the game. The team was still without sophomore forward Mike Morrison, who had been suspended for a double technical foul in the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs.

The game started out promising enough for the Patriots, who led 43-40 going in to halftime. Johnny Williams had 14 points at the half and shot 7-of-8 from the field.

Head Coach Jim Larranaga was impressed with Williams’ performance. Larranaga said that Williams came to him during the week and asked for a chance to prove himself, which he did by scoring 18 points and shooting 80 percent from the floor.

“I’ve been working on my game outside of practice and just trying to get comfortable [with] my position, which I don’t think I’m nowhere near, but I think I’m starting to feel comfortable now,” said Williams.

The Patriots however struggled in the second half and trailed by 11 points with six minutes to go, but despite their recent struggles, they were able to rally for a near comeback.

Junior guard Cam Long drained a 3-pointer to bring Mason within one point with just under a minute left.
The Patriots managed to cut the Cougars’ lead down to two points with eight seconds to go.

The Patriots got the ball back and made what appeared to be a game-tying basket, but it was negated by an offensive foul which sealed the win for the Cougars.

The Patriots have two games left on their schedule before the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament begins.

Their last two opponents will be the Delaware Blue Hens and the Northeastern Huskies, whom the Patriots beat in last year’s homecoming game.

If the Patriots win out, they will receive the bye for the CAA Tournament in Richmond. The loss was the Patriots third in a row and its second consecutive home loss.

Despite the loss, the youthful Patriots showed fans their potential. The team will retain much of its nucleus next year with the exception of senior forward Louis Birdsong.

Redshirt freshman Kevin Foster made his first start and had 13 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Foster is impressed with the team’s chemistry going forward.