Sports

• Previewing the Field

  Sports March 1, 2010 at 2:43 pm Comments are Disabled

  Cody Norman, Staff Writer The Old Dominion Monarchs clinched their first regular season title since the 2004-05 season with a win over the VCU Rams on Saturday afternoon. After Northeastern Huskies’ close victory over the George Mason Patriots, the Huskies have secured the number two seed heading into this weekend’s Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. The Patriots and William & Mary Tribe claim the final two first round byes. The tournament will be held in Richmond from Mar. 5-8. The Top Four: The Monarchs concluded their 2009-10 regular season campaign with a tough win over the VCU Rams. Much of their success this season has come due to an impressive +7.8 rebounds margin per night as well as a league-best 15.6 assists per game. They are led by senior forward Gerald Lee, who is posting more than 14 points and five rebounds per night. Lee recorded 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting on Saturday evening to lead all scorers and give his team a momentum-shifting win heading into the conference tournament. Junior forward Frank Hassell averages 8.7 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds for the Monarchs. Old Dominion has won five of their last six matchups heading into the postseason. The Huskies […]

   

• Patriots Clip Blue Hens 61-59

  Sports March 1, 2010 at 2:42 pm Comments are Disabled

  Cody Norman, Staff Writer The night was plagued by extremely poor free throw shooting and a stagnant offense, but outstanding defense down the stretch allowed the George Mason University men’s basketball team (17-12, 12-5) to outlast the Delaware Blue Hens (7-22, 3-14) on Wednesday night. After trailing for much of the first half, the Patriots used a 9-0 second half run to upstage their Colonial Athletic Association opponent in a thrilling 61-59 victory. Sophomore guard Andre Cornelius made four of seven 3-point attempts for 16 points, and junior guard Cam Long followed up with 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Freshmen reserves Sherrod Wright and Luke Hancock continued their strong play and contributed a solid effort in the contest. Wright shot a perfect 3-of-3 from the field to chip in 10 points in the winning effort. Hancock added nine points, four rebounds and four assists. Despite shooting 55.6 percent in the first half, the Patriots trailed 38-32 at halftime after committing 10 turnovers. In the second half, Mason shot just 32 percent from the field and made 11-of-20 free throws, but ended up outscoring the Blue Hens 29-21 in the latter half. The defense stepped up in the second […]

   

• Team America Strikes Again: Americans Conclude Winter Olympics with 37 Medals

  Sports March 1, 2010 at 2:40 pm Comments are Disabled

  Jerry Holy, Broadside Correspondent Four years after Torino in 2006, the world turned its attention to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for the 21st Winter Olympic Games. Vancouver witnessed many triumphs, defeats, successes, disappointments and redemptions. The United States currently leads the medal count at 37 medals, seven medals in front of Germany. This year’s Olympics started with a tragedy. The death of 21-year old Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili on the luge track was a sad moment for everyone. A moment of silence was held in honor of Kumaritashvili during the Opening Ceremony on Feb. 12th, where his fellow Georgian athletes wore black in remembrance. In spite of this tragedy, each Georgian athlete went on to compete in their events, and the Games began. Team USA got the early lead in the medal count when Apolo Anton Ohno and teammate J.R. Celski took the silver and bronze medals in the men’s 1500-meter short track event. Ohno went on to win the bronze medal in the men’s 1000-meter short track, making him the most decorated USA short-track skater. On the same day, Hannah Kearney and Shannon Bahrke won the gold and bronze medals in the women’s moguls event. Kearney, the favorite to […]

   

• Mason Edges Pride in Five Sets

  Sports March 1, 2010 at 2:39 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Staff Writer Prior to Thursday’s match at Springfield College, the George Mason University men’s volleyball team took on the Springfield Pride at the RAC and were unable to come up with a win in their three-game homestand. The Patriots (4-6, 2-2) started the match with a 2-0 lead and held on in five sets against the Pride (8-5, 2-3), winning with a score of 30-28, 31-29, 22-30, 27-30, 15-13. Mason had an extremely strong first set, recording 21 kills and a .436 hitting percentage. The Patriots rallied from being down 18-13 and 24-20 to force a deadlock tie at 24-all. Springfield regained the lead at 28-26, but Mason closed out the set with four consecutive points. The team continued its early success with another exceptional performance in the second set. As a team, the Patriots hit .500 with 18 kills and just two attack errors. However, the Pride roared back from the two-set deficit with 19 kills in the third set and 16 kills in the fourth for .516 and .325 hitting percentages, respectively. While the opposition struggled to score points off kills in the fifth set, Mason gave up seven unforced errors that kept the Pride […]

   

• Run, Kimmy, Run: The New Track & Field Metric: Moss Per Hour

  Sports March 1, 2010 at 2:38 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor On your mark, get set, go! For junior Kimmy Moss, a member of the women’s soccer team and track team, the world, in a continuous motion, features dynamic characteristics. While her athleticism is vastly beneficial to her success, Moss’ ability to adjust and turn the corner from start to finish has been equally vital in her role as a two-sport athlete. Moss, a tri-sport athlete when she attended Broad Run High School, was named to the first-team All-Met, All-State, All-District and All-Region in her junior and senior seasons and garnered District Player of the Year honors in her junior year while amassing 12 goals and 47 assists in her four years with the Spartans. Moss came to George Mason University looking for the opportunity in soccer to be part of a competitive team and to contribute individually. “I definitely wanted to play Division I soccer, but [since Mason is] not at the bottom and not necessarily at the top tier like the ACC teams, I knew coming in I could play and be an immediate impact,” said Moss. In her first year with Mason, Moss started three of her 14 appearances and managed only three […]

   

• Reluctant Refereeing: Game Light on Fouls until End as Huskies Top Patriots

  Sports March 1, 2010 at 2:36 pm Comments are Disabled

  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 […]

   

• Lewis Dominates Mason

  Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:44 pm Comments are Disabled

  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 […]

   

• Ice Hockey Below the Radar

  Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:43 pm Comments are Disabled

  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 […]

   

• Mason Looks to End Its Sea of Losses

  Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:41 pm Comments are Disabled

  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 […]

   

• A Favre Shot to Retire: Top Five NFL Offseason Storylines

  Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:40 pm Comments are Disabled

  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 […]