Articles by: sports

 

• Not the Great Escape; Mason Falls to Georgia State in Final Minutes

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:20 am Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor The men’s basketball team fell for the first time in nearly a month, losing in a 61-57 decision to the Georgia State Panthers last Wednesday. Mason (15-8, 10-2), winners of seven straight, had its road winning streak end at three games, while the Panthers (10-14, 4-8) evened up the season series. Sophomore forward Ryan Pearson led the Patriots with 13 points and eight rebounds, and freshman forward Luke Hancock added 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting. But the team could not contain Panthers’ reserve player Jihad Ali, who scored a game-high 22 points to surpass his previous high of 12 points. Ali hit the eventual game-winner, a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left to give the Panthers a 58-57 lead. Mason was in control in the first half, leading by as much as seven points. Junior guard Isaiah Tate nailed two 3-pointers leading to his eight first-half points. The Patriots went into the half with a 27-22 lead, but both offenses had a sluggish start in the first 20 minutes. The Panthers shot just 29.6 percent from the field but Mason was not any better, shooting 34.5 percent. In the second half, the Panthers clawed back from […]

   

• Powell’s Playbook

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:19 am Comments are Disabled

  John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor I’ll admit. I was a bit perturbed after watching the clock wind down with only one Mason point on the board. The Monarch fan laughing maniacally in my ear for the entire game did not help either. A 16-point run at the beginning of the game was, needless to say, disconcerting. The first half of the Old Dominion game got me thinking, “Why is it that when the Patriots travel to play a decent team, they seem to flounder on offense?” I was reminded of the pitiful game at George Washington, but at least that loss did not count for a conference record. “Guys, we’re playing George Mason, not Georgetown,” said an ODU fan sitting behind me at the game. Have the Patriots really come to this? Mason was once in sole possession of the top spot in the conference, ahead of the Old Dominion team that subsequently handed Mason a terrible loss, sending them to third place. I had high hopes for the team after seeing them do well, albeit losing, in the game against then-No. 5 Villanova in the ESPN Puerto Rico Challenge. Because of this loss in Norfolk, Va., however, I find […]

   

• And the Beat Goes On; Patriots Outlast Rams in Overtime

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:16 am Comments are Disabled

  Cody Norman, Staff Writer The men’s basketball team carried a 17-game home conference winning streak back into the Patriot Center for another Colonial Athletic Association matchup with the VCU Rams on Tuesday night. Mason had dropped back-to-back games for the first time in 2010 while the Rams were one of the hottest teams in the CAA, winning eight of their previous nine contests. The ESPNU crew was in attendance to broadcast the thrilling rivalry, former Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington sat courtside and the Patriot Center was packed with the most students in school history. Tuesday night’s game had all the makings of an unforgettable matchup, and it certainly lived up to all the hype. The Patriots came out a little flat-footed in the first half and got beat to seemingly every loose ball. VCU capitalized on 22 points in the paint while connecting on 13 points off nine Mason turnovers. VCU left the court at halftime with a comfortable 41-28 lead and appeared to have the Patriots right where they wanted them. But Mason’s only senior, forward Louis Birdsong, gave his team a much needed lift as he scored five straight points highlighted by an impressive one-handed slam over […]

   

• Offensive Woes Continue; Hofstra Takes Early Lead to Rout Mason

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:13 am Comments are Disabled

  Cody Norman, Staff Writer Since rattling off six wins in eight games to open up the 2009-10 campaign, the women’s basketball team has gone cold. Their offense has stammered as the Patriots have only topped the 60-point mark once in their last 11 outings and have notched an ugly 2-11 record. Although they have played extremely well at home this season, notching an 8-4 record, the Patriots have recorded only one win against their conference opponents. “We have somehow gotten so focused on the fact that we don’t hit shots that we’re not defending as well as I thought we had earlier in the season,” said Head Coach Jeri Porter of her team’s recent defensive woes. “I thought we were a good defensive basketball team and here in the last couple games, we just have not defended very well at all.” In Thursday night’s Colonial Athletic Association matchup with the Hofstra Pride, the story continued. Mason’s struggles at the offensive end transitioned to a poor defensive effort as the Patriots connected on just 13 of 51 shot attempts in its 72-39 loss to the Pride. The Patriots made only five of its 26 shot attempts in the first half, but […]

   

• Women’s Lacrosse Hosts the Blue Jays on Saturday

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:11 am Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Overview: The women’s lacrosse team will battle the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays on Saturday at 1 p.m. at George Mason Stadium. Mason concluded the 2009 season with a 6-10 overall record and 2-5 conference record, defeating the James Madison Dukes 8-7 in the regular season finale. The Patriots hosted its season opener last week against the UMBC Golden Retrievers. Johns Hopkins opened the season ranked 15th in the nation last year and defeated the Patriots 15-10 in the opener. Saturday’s game will mark the Blue Jays’ season opener. The Blue Jays finished 5-12 overall last season while going 0-4 in the American Lacrosse Conference. Mason: The Patriots return with four 20-goal scorers from last season. Among the quad is the leading scorer, junior attacker Madalyn Jamison. The Second-Team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection led the Patriots with 59 points on 29 goals and 30 assists. Jamison recorded a game-high five goals and seven points twice last season. Junior midfielder Chelsea Gamble will also provide some offensive spark for Mason. Last season, she scored 21 goals and led the team with a .538 shot percentage. Johns Hopkins: The Blue Jays will be led by its two sophomore […]

   

• To Be Continued; Mason Looks to Extend Home Winning Streak

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:08 am Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Overview: The men’s basketball team has its home conference winning streak of 18 games in jeopardy as the team takes on the William & Mary Tribe on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. At the same time, Mason will look to prolong its nine-game home winning streak. The Patriots will host another tough opponent in the College of Charleston Cougars in the ESPN BracketBuster on Saturday at 8 p.m. Entering Saturday’s game against the Old Dominion Monarchs, the Patriots held a 16-9 overall record and 11-3 conference record. Mason: Two months ago, the Patriots dropped a nail-biter to the Dayton Flyers, snapping its 18-home game winning streak. Since then, Mason has won nine consecutive games, including a thriller last Tuesday against Colonial Athletic Association rival, VCU Rams. Even when the team had to rally from a 13-point halftime deficit, the Patriots did not dismantle in the overtime period. Mason has won 27 of its past 28 games at the Patriot Center. Sophomore forward Mike Morrison delivered a career-high 18 points and added 10 rebounds to his double-double while holding Rams’ Larry Sanders to just two points in the second half of the 82-77 win. William & […]

   

• Sunday Slam with the Rams; Women’s Basketball Hosts Rival VCU on Sunday

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:07 am Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Overview: The women’s basketball team looks to defend its home court on Sunday at 1 p.m. when the Patriots take on the heavily favored VCU Rams. Entering Thursday night’s game against the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks, Mason had an 8-14 overall record and a 1-10 conference record. The Rams stood atop the Colonial Athletic Association with a 9-2 record against conference opponents and are among the top teams with a 16-7 overall record. Mason: Prior to Sunday’s game against the Old Dominion Monarchs, the Patriots dropped its worst home loss of the season, falling to the Hofstra Pride 72-39 and shooting just 25.5 percent from the field. In its last two home games, Mason was held to below 40 points. The team responded with a solid effort against the Delaware Blue Hens on the road. Mason held the lead for most of the first half and part of the second half before relinquishing the lead late in the game. Despite losing for the 10th time on the road, Mason displayed exceptional effort on offense, scoring at least 60 points for the first time since its 72-61 win over the Northeastern Huskies on Jan. 17. The Patriots look […]

   

• On the Breakaway: Second-Year Roller Hockey Club Flourishes with Young Talent

  Sports February 2, 2010 at 7:27 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor When sophomore John Liebold first came to George Mason University, he found out that the school did not offer a roller hockey program. Liebold, who played the sport for the past 14 years, was not ready to give up on hockey. “In my freshman year, we just started a pickup league team at The Box in Chantilly. It was about the six of us, and we just asked Mason to start a club and went to [the club sports coordinator] Bob Spousta and made it happen for our sophomore year,” said Liebold, club founder of the George Mason Roller Hockey Club. The team, which started with six to seven people last year, has increased its membership to 17 players. The club recruited a player from Pennsylvania while the rest of the players were familiar with each other. The club currently leads the Northern Conference in the Southeastern Collegiate Roller Hockey League (SECRHL) with an 11-1-0 record and 22 points. Mason leads the conference in scoring offense and scoring defense with roughly 7.2 goals scored and 2.5 goals allowed per game. Mason opened this season lighting the lamp in a 13-2 rout over the Florida International […]

   

• Reaching 17 Again: Mason Matches School Record in CAA Home Wins

  Sports February 2, 2010 at 7:25 pm Comments are Disabled

  John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor On Saturday afternoon, the men’s basketball team (15-7, 10-1) topped the James Madison Dukes (10-12, 3-8) by a score of 70-68. Mason’s 17 consecutive home wins against a conference opponent ties a school record that was set in 2001. This win was the seventh straight for the Patriots. A few hours after the win, the Old Dominion Monarchs lost to the Northeastern Huskies, giving the Patriots sole possession of first place in the conference by a full game. Junior guard Cam Long was on fire Friday, scoring 23 points in the contest. This was the sixth time this season that Long has scored at least 20 points in a contest. No other Patriot scored double-digits in the game. Junior guard Isaiah Tate and senior forward Louis Birdsong both tallied nine points, and freshman forward Johnny Williams shot for a career-high eight points in the win. The Patriots came into the game leading the Colonial Athletic Association in 3-point shooting at 40.1 percent. Playing the Dukes, the Patriots could only manage a 23.5 mark. In shooting percentages, the Patriots fell to the Dukes in every category. The Dukes shot 35.3 percent from the 3-point range. The […]

   

• Hancock Dishes the Rock: Forward Leads the Freshmen with Effective Bench Play

  Sports February 2, 2010 at 7:24 pm Comments are Disabled

  John Kleeb, Broadside Correspondent The Hancock File Favorite Food: Japanese Favorite Place to eat on campus: Southside Favorite Vacation Spot: The Beach Favorite Movie: Book of Eli Favorite TV: ESPN Favorite Music: Billy Currington “Good Directions” With six freshmen on George Mason University’s men’s basketball team, first-year forward Luke Hancock is one of the key players on the team’s young squad. Hancock is currently averaging 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. The Roanoke native was recently ranked 22nd on the Basketball Prospectus’ list of top 25 freshmen. Hancock feels that it was good to receive the exposure at the national level and to be named on the same list with University of Kentucky point guard and potential first overall draft pick John Wall. Since arriving at Mason, Coach Larranaga has made Hancock feel comfortable playing at home. The idea of playing at the Patriot Center sparked Hancock’s decision to attend Mason. Hancock was also recruited by Toledo, Bradley and Radford. Hancock, who is majoring in finance, hopes to continue playing basketball after he graduates, but he intends to enter the business world as his fallback plan. He is interested in learning and understanding the function of money. […]