BOSTON – A lot of things have gone well for George Mason this season. It’s been a pretty good one, as the Patriots have led or been right there in the race for the top of the Colonial Athletic Association most of the season. But one thing that hasn’t gone well at times is turnovers, and along with a subpar defensive effort they cost the Patriots a game and a shot at the top seed in the conference tournament in Wednesday night’s 85-82 loss at Northeastern.
With Drexel beating James Madison on Wednesday night, George Mason needed to win to still have a shot at the top seed in the CAA Tournament. Drexel knocked off the Patriots in their only meeting this season, so they hold a tiebreaker should the teams be tied at the end of the regular season. With the loss, the Patriots will be playing for the No. 2 seed on Saturday at VCU, as the Rams won on Wednesday night to even the records.
The Patriots give the ball away more than all but two CAA teams, so their 21 turnovers on the night was not a surprising number. The Huskies gave the ball away one more time in what was a turnover-filled game. But more than just the number, the times the Patriots gave it away hurt. It was especially glaring on plays that helped decide the game, as they committed turnovers on the final play of regulation and in overtime when they had a chance to win it on what could have been the final possession.
“It’s been an issue for us at times this year,” said head coach Paul Hewitt of the turnovers. “Just when we think we’ve got it lifted, it pops up on us again. We’ve got to be strong with the ball.”
When the teams weren’t giving the ball away, they were making shots, as both shot over 52 percent from the field. That was the bigger problem for the Patriots, as they came into the game as one of the best defensive teams in the CAA but didn’t look like it on the night. Opponents were shooting below 39 percent against them on the season. The Huskies were also 6-13 from long range; opponents came into Wednesday shooting less than 31 percent from deep on the season.
Besides the shooting percentages, foul trouble mounted late in the game for the Patriots. Although Andre Cornelius was the only Patriot to foul out, the Huskies got to the line often as they were in the double bonus for a lot of the second half and all of overtime.
“They were part of the problem,” said Hewitt, referring to Northeastern. “In the second half, they were in attack mode the whole time.”
As if that wasn’t enough, the Huskies were able to play the Patriots even on the glass. Defense is not just about stopping a team from scoring, as finishing the defensive possession with a rebound is important. The Huskies have been an inconsistent rebounding team this season, so one would have figured the Patriots could have an edge there.
“We had 75 points, and if we play our normal level of defense, that should have been enough to do it,” said Hewitt.
The Patriots didn’t get a big night from CAA Player of the Year candidate Ryan Pearson. With a big effort led by the Huskies’ only senior, Kashief Edwards, Pearson never got untracked and was just 3-12 from the field for 11 points. He had two assists and five turnovers and later had to deal with foul trouble. Instead, the offense was carried by Mike Morrison (season-high 19 points on 7-9 shooting) and Sherrod Wright (13 points), the latter of whom looked very good on several assertive drives to the basket. He also went 2-3 from long range on the night.
Bryon Allen has benefited from Hewitt inserting him into the starting lineup and has had a nice year. The talented sophomore guard had a nice night on the stat sheet on Wednesday, scoring 10 points and handing out 13 assists. But he had six turnovers, and two were crucial as he was the one who couldn’t hang on to the ball in the aforementioned late possessions in regulation and overtime. That, along with shooting just over 40 percent from the field, shows he still has a little ways to go.
The Patriots were at their best as a defensive team under Jim Larranaga, and with a lot of the personnel still there, that identity is intact to a large degree with Hewitt at the helm. They certainly need to take better care of the ball going forward, which was clear before Wednesday night. But an inability to stop the Huskies was at the core of the defeat, and the combination will leave them having to win on the road to be the No. 2 seed next weekend in Richmond.
