John McDonnell/THE WASHINGTON POST - George Mason forward Mike Morrison goes up for two against Georgia State.

George Mason University’s basketball team ended 2011 with a quality out-of-conference win, defeating College of Charleston 84-76.  On the second day of 2012 it used a 16-0 second-half run to overpower the College of William and Mary, 70-56.

Following the victory over the Tribe, the Patriots played two key games – the first on the road against perennial CAA power Old Dominion, the second at home against the surging Georgia State Panthers.  This article examines GMU’s performance against those two teams, focusing on their strengths and areas for improvement.

63-54 Win at Old Dominion

George Mason had not defeated the Monarchs in Norfolk since 2004.  With this in mind, beating ODU on the road was part of a “bucket list” of goals GMU’s seniors developed prior to the season.  Behind 42.9% shooting, the seniors achieved this goal.

The Patriots marched out to a 19-10 lead in the first 6:45 of the game.  The 19 points included two field goals from offensive rebounds, two other dunks and three three-pointers.  Over the next ten minutes they would extend their lead to 28-16, the largest lead of the game.  Despite scoring only six more points the rest of the half, they took a 34-31 lead into halftime.

In the first six-plus minutes of the second half, the Monarchs scored to cut the Patriot lead to two points on three separate occasions.  However, George Mason did just enough to keep ODU from taking a lead.  The Patriots led by at least four points the last 13 minutes of the game.

The proverbial “dagger” came on a three-pointer by Vertrail Vaughns with five minutes remaining.  Nursing a six-point lead, Mason had missed its previous nine three-point attempts.  Supreme ball movement led to an open shot for Vaughns.  The trey gave GMU a 57-48 lead, and the Patriots matched ODU’s six points the rest of the way to hold on for the win.

61-58 Win versus Georgia State

Following their win over Old Dominion, George Mason came back home to face Georgia State.  Ron Hunter’s Panthers brought an eleven-game winning streak to Fairfax, including a win at Virginia Commonwealth in their last outing.

After trailing by four with 8:19 left in the first half, the Patriots went on a 16-4 run to take a 31-23 lead into halftime.  The lead was impressive considering Ryan Pearson scored only two points on free throws in the half.  The team overall shot 42.3% in the half against a Georgia State team that showed multiple levels of pressure throughout the half.

Georgia State started the second half on an 8-0 run during which Pearson and Bryon Allen both picked up their third fouls.  The Patriots ended their drought five minutes into the half when Mike Morrison put back an offensive rebound.  The putback sparked a five-minute run in which Morrison scored five points, had five rebounds, added an assist and a blocked a shot.  The forward finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.

Once GMU rebuilt its eight-point lead with 12 minutes left, Georgia State battled back to keep the game close.  The Panthers twice took a one-point lead in the last five minutes, but both instances were answered by two free throws by Pearson to take back the lead.  Pearson’s free throw shooting (10-10) accounted for all of his points for the game.  The Patriots hit eleven of twelve free throws in the last two-plus minutes of the game to hold on for a 61-58 win.

Strengths Exhibited

• George Mason shot almost 43% on the road against a defense-first Monarch program.  The Patriots connected on 17 of 35 two-point field goal attempts, as they created several shots close to the basket.
• Also against Old Dominion, GMU showed a knack for squashing Monarch runs before they got started.  Each of the three ODU scores that brought them within two points in the second half was immediately answered on Mason’s subsequent possession.
• Similarly in the Georgia State game, the Panthers twice took one-point leads in the last five minutes.  Following both lead-changes, the Patriots scored two points on their next possessions to take their own lead.
• The Patriots showed their depth by defeating Georgia State despite a sub-standard game from their best player.  While Pearson hit clutch free throws late in the game, he had zero field goals along with six turnovers.  Morrison especially picked up his production without Pearson, but the entire team played well enough to overcome an off-night from their senior leader.

 Areas for Improvement

• The Monarchs out-rebounded the Patriots 47-37; 22 of ODU’s rebounds came on the offensive end.  Although they scored only two points on those rebounds, Old Dominion was afforded too many second chances for points.  The Patriots must minimize opponents’ offensive rebounds.
• Georgia State attacked the rim off the dribble much more effectively than Old Dominion, and the Panthers’ interior passing led to several open looks early in the game.

Following this weekend’s games, George Mason (12-4) sits alone atop the CAA with a 4-0 conference record.  Considering the program lost its most successful coach and best all-around player in the offseason, a 12-4 record at this point should be considered a success.  The Patriots seem to be hitting their stride at the right time, as they get into the heart of their conference schedule.