BOSTON – There was definitely more urgency than usual for George Mason on Wednesday night. Fresh off a pair of road losses, including a tough one they had a good shot to win at Old Dominion, the Patriots were at the end of a three-game road swing in a building where they had not won in five years. That sense of urgency showed early and often as the Patriots opened the game with 11 of the first 12 points and led by at least five points the rest of the way in blowing out Northeastern on a snowy night in Boston.
The Patriots rode the scoring of Ryan Pearson (24 points on 10-14 shooting) and Cam Long (20 points on 8-12 shooting) at the offensive end. That’s been a constant of late, as each came into the game averaging 16 points per game over the prior five games. But in that stretch, the Patriots went just 2-3, so that wasn’t all they would need. They got plenty of support offensively, and the defense played better than some of the numbers might suggest.
Only one other Patriot scored in double figures, as Andre Cornelius had 11 points. But several others chipped in, and the Patriots shot over 67 percent from the field. It’s difficult to lose games with that kind of offense. Add in a 28-18 rebounding edge, and they did what they needed against a rebuilding Husky team.
“It was definitely a big win,” said Long. “The main things we emphasized today were defense and rebounding, and we really executed on that.”
Head coach Jim Larranaga has been known for emphasizing defense, and his team is doing a pretty good job all in all in that respect. Opponents are shooting about 42 percent from the floor against them, and they are out-rebounding opponents by about three per game. But thus far in CAA play, the shooting numbers are higher, and Larranaga noted that they needed to rebound better against Old Dominion. The Monarchs had a 35-31 edge on the glass, but 18 of those were at the offensive end and they turned those into 23 second-chance points in a four-point win.
Wednesday night’s game was won primarily with offense, given their shooting numbers and the fact that Northeastern shot 50 percent from the field, although they did commit 15 turnovers. Anyone watching the game might be very surprised by that number since the Huskies looked out-classed all night long, an inexperienced team up against one with a good deal of experience that got humbled in the same arena last year around this time. The Patriots have just two seniors, but their juniors are all experienced and Larranaga is working in some of the underclassmen.
One experienced underclassman who had a nice night is sophomore Luke Hancock. The Patriots’ assist leader handed out 10 on the night without a turnover to greatly impact the game while scoring just eight points. His assist-to-turnover ratio is now 2.1, which puts him right near the top of the conference in that category. That’s one reason Pearson and Long have had the success they have.
“He finds ways to drive and penetrate and find the open man,” Long said of Hancock. “We’ve got to understand that when he’s capable of doing that, it spreads out the floor a lot more.”
Having picked up a road win that they needed, George Mason now heads home for two straight as Georgia State and Drexel come to town. The Patriots haven’t lost at home all year, including a sweep of a five-game homestand early in the season. They have played better since the loss at Hofstra a week ago, and breaking through with a win only helps.
