Patriots Bounce Back at Home

Delaware Succumbs to 2nd-Half Runs: George Mason 78, Delaware 55

The reserves provided George Mason with a badly needed lift in the first half last night. The starters took care of the rest.

After the substitutes helped erase an early nine-point deficit, the Patriots' usual contributors embarked on a pair of devastating surges after halftime to overrun Delaware, 78-55, and end the team's first losing streak in almost two years.

Leading by two at intermission, the Patriots (15-5, 8-2 Colonial Athletic Association) went on a 12-2 run to take command. They led by 13 with about seven minutes left when they scored 11 straight to secure their seventh straight home victory over the Blue Hens (9-13, 3-7) and improve to 10-0 at Patriot Center.

"I was thinking we would come out of the blocks very fast and very hard" after losing to Northeastern and Virginia Commonwealth last week, George Mason Coach Jim Larranaga said. "And when we fell behind 7-0, I was like, 'Well, I don't know this team.' I loved the contributions we got off our bench."

Reserves Mike Morrison and Isaiah Tate were largely responsible for the comeback, combining for 16 first-half points, and starting guards Dre Smith and Cam Long instigated the second-half uprising.

Tate, a sophomore guard from DeMatha, finished with a career-high 10 points and Morrison, a gangly freshman forward, had 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes. Long finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Smith scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half.

Playing without senior guard John Vaughan (concussion) for the second straight game, the Patriots outrebounded Delaware 47-29, limited the Blue Hens to 27 percent shooting in the second half and had a season-high 13 steals. Vaughan is likely to return Saturday at Old Dominion.

Georgetown transfer Marc Egerson had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Delaware, which made just 7 of 28 three-pointers.

The Patriots sputtered from the opening tip, and after Egerson's three-pointer made it 7-0, Larranaga bowed his head in disgust and touched his shoulders, signaling a 30-second timeout. "They came out of the gate so fast and just outran us," Larranaga said.

But Morrison, averaging 2.6 points, worked inside for eight points to provide George Mason's first lead. Long's three-pointer with 50 seconds remaining in the half broke a tie and the Patriots grabbed a 37-35 lead at intermission. While the starters shot 6 of 18, Morrison and fellow reserves Tate and Ryan Pearson were 9 of 12.

"It was the energy," Smith said of the reserves. "The best thing is when one of the starters comes out, and somebody comes off the bench with the same intensity, it keeps us going. It never lets us lapse."

The Patriots began the second half with a fury. Louis Birdsong's blocked shot led to Smith's three-pointer and a pair of steals set up freshman guard Andre Cornelius for fast-break layups.

After a Delaware offensive foul, Pearson made a free throw for a 49-37 lead. Egerson ended the spell with a 20-footer, but Tate converted an offensive rebound, Smith finished a fast break and Birdsong hit a 15-footer for a 16-point lead.

"Coach told us before we went in just to bring the team energy," Morrison said. "Everyone who came off the bench stepped up and, when the starters came back in, they extended the lead a lot, so we ended up with a good win."