Instead of a Slipper, Patriots Slip

Underdog George Mason Collapses Late in the Final

Jordan Carter is injured and unable to return in the final minutes Monday night as George Mason blows a late five-point lead in the matter of seconds as VCU storms back to claim the championship of the Colonial Athletic Association and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. (John McDonnell - The Post)

RICHMOND, March 5 -- George Mason's improbable run through the Colonial Athletic Association tournament came to a devastating end Monday night when, after leading by five points with about two minutes remaining in the championship game, the Patriots were overwhelmed by the pressure of both the moment and Virginia Commonwealth's defense.

The top-seeded Rams scored 11 consecutive points, nine by sophomore point guard Eric Maynor, and dashed to a 65-59 victory before a delirious sellout crowd of 11,200 at Richmond Coliseum.

The No. 6 Patriots -- who had lost to VCU by 13 and 14 points during the regular season -- were seeking to become the lowest seed to claim the title since East Carolina, a No. 7 seed, won 14 years ago. They had upset No. 3 Hofstra and No. 2 Old Dominion the previous two nights, but fell short in excruciating fashion against the CAA's best team.

George Mason (18-15) had a 57-52 lead and possession with two minutes remaining, when it all fell apart in a flurry of steals by Maynor, misses by the Patriots and free throws by the Rams (27-6).

"We knew that their pressure would bother us to a certain extent, but for about 36 minutes, we still were in control of the game and then Eric Maynor stepped up and made huge defensive plays," Mason Coach Jim Larranaga said. "Big-time players make big-time plays, and Eric Maynor proved tonight he's a big-time player."

The comeback began when Maynor, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard enduring a poor shooting night, stole the ball from Dre Smith with the Patriots in transition, converted a layup and was fouled. After making the free throw to cut the deficit to two, Maynor took the ball from Gabe Norwood in the back court and laid it in with 1 minute 44 seconds remaining.

Mason's Folarin Campbell missed a three-pointer, and Maynor followed with a leaner in the lane with 45 seconds to go. Campbell had a shot blocked, Smith missed a three-pointer and the Rams made six straight free throws down the stretch to earn their second NCAA tournament berth in four years.

"I made a couple of big plays, and we took it from there," said Maynor, who finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals and was named the tournament's most valuable player. "I felt like somebody had to make a play and when I made it, it was a relief."

Said first-year Rams coach Anthony Grant: "Obviously, Eric Maynor is special. Down the stretch, just his ability to take over a game like that and basically just will us to the victory with what he was able to do . . . our guys were going to find a way to win the game."

To that point, the Patriots had played a smart and effective game. They led by six in the first half, by four at the break and answered every charge by the Rams in the second half. With the game tied at 52, Will Thomas powered to the basket and added a free throw. Campbell added two foul shots and, when the Patriots rebounded a miss with slightly more than two minutes to go, they seemed on the brink of another upset.

Smith, who averaged 17.3 points in the tournament after contributing just 6.7 in the regular season, led the Patriots with 12 points and Norwood, the only senior who played regularly and the program's all-time leader in games played, added a season-high 10, including a pair of three-pointers in the second half.

Just as it did the previous two days, Mason's defense shut down the perimeter game and forced the Rams to work inside. But Jordan Carter, the Patriots' starting point guard, left the game late with a knee injury and Maynor's slashing drives and defensive work made the difference.

"They just picked it up a notch and we struggled with it down the stretch," Norwood said. "We've been here before and we should have finished the game a little bit stronger."

Without any chance of an NCAA at-large berth, the Patriots will hope for a bid to the National Invitation Tournament on Sunday -- a respectable reward for a team that returned only two starters from last year's Final Four squad and endured bouts of inconsistency all winter until its near-perfect run in Richmond the past four days.

"Our team played this weekend like we wanted to play all season long," Larranaga said. "It really took us a whole season to get to this point. . . . It's a great group of kids and I'm very proud of them."