For George Mason, the comforts of home are visible – yellow-clad students behind one baseline, the energetic pep band behind the other, and walls and seats of green all around.
Wednesday night at Patriot Center, however, the advantage of playing at home could best be expressed in numbers. While visiting George Washington took nine free throws, five of which came in garbage time, Mason shot 33.
The disparity, in part, was the story in the Patriots 60-46 victory, along with the play of versatile guards Luke Hancock (15 points, 8 rebounds) and Cam Long (14 points, 5 rebounds), who combined to hit 5 of 8 shots from beyond the arc.
The free throw edge, according to Mason coach Jim Larranaga, had nothing to do with playing at home, but rather the Patriots’ aggression on offense and sound fundamentals on defense.
GW coach Karl Hobbs saw it differently.
“There were some situations,” said Hobbs. “I don’t want to get into the officiating, because it had no bearing on the game whatsoever.”
Judging from his high-volume postgame diatribe, audible outside the cinderblock walls of the GW locker room, Hobbs was more upset with the lackluster play of his team, which started both halves cold. The Colonials opened the game settling for jumpers and missed 15 of their first 16 shots. At the start of the second half, they went 0-for-6.
“I thought we played terrific defense throughout the game. I just thought we really struggled making shots,” said Hobbs. “That didn’t allow us to keep the game within reach.”
GW (2-4) recovered from its horrid start, turning a 9-2 deficit into a 24-23 advantage late in the first half. But it would be the Colonials’ only lead of the game as GMU resumed control with a 14-2 run that bridged the halves.
Junior guard Andre Cornelius (9 points, 3 assists) sparked the surge with a three-point play and Long, a 6-4 senior, opened the second half with a 3-pointer. After that, the Colonials never seriously challenged.
It was a reversal of fortune from last year’s 66-49 GMU blowout loss at GW, which was more decisive than the final score indicated.
“We certainly mentioned last year’s shellacking at the Smith Center,” said Larranaga. “We try to use a lot of different things to motivate our players. You normally get their attention when somebody has beaten you badly.”
Mason junior Mike Morrison (12 points, 8 rebounds) rose as well on Wednesday night. His steal and breakaway slam dunk finished off the key run early in the second half, giving Mason a 37-26 lead. Later, Hancock, a 6-5 sophomore, scored seven straight points, giving Mason a 20-point lead.
“First half, everybody was trying to take it on their own. Everybody was rushing,” said Long. “Second half we emphasized everyone sharing the ball.”
Mason shot 50 percent in the second half and played stellar defense throughout, limiting GW to 31 percent accuracy from the field. Hancock was particularly instrumental at the defensive end, holding GW 6-8 freshman Nemanja Mikic to three points on 1 of 6 shooting. Lifeless GW was led by junior guard Tony Taylor (11 points).
“I honestly think we’re just not finishing plays,” said Taylor. “We’re moving the ball well, executing well. We’re getting the shots we want. They’re just not going down right now.”
Game notes » It was the third straight win for Mason, all at home. It was the third straight loss for GW … The coaches sounded optimistic that the two-year series will be continued … Mason’s starters combined for all but four of the Patriots’ points and all but three rebounds. Guard Isaiah Tate (16 minutes) was the only reserve, who played more than six minutes … “They don’t clearly understand how to get it done yet,” said Larranaga. “I didn’t want to take a chance on putting them into a situation where they’d turn the ball over a couple times and we’d lose the lead.”
