Mason's Troubles Continue On Road

James Madison 68, George Mason 66

HARRISONBURG, Va., Feb. 7 -- It happened a few weeks ago at Northeastern and Virginia Commonwealth, transpired last weekend at Old Dominion and occurred again Saturday at James Madison. For the fourth consecutive road trip, George Mason was tangled in a tight Colonial Athletic Association game in the final moments and, for the fourth straight time, the Patriots faltered.

They turned a 14-point second-half deficit into a three-point lead with 4 1/2 minutes left before losing their way and dropping a 68-66 decision to the Dukes in front of 5,470 at JMU Convocation Center.

The loss snapped the Patriots' 10-game winning streak against the Dukes and left them two games behind first-place Northeastern, which will visit Patriot Center next Saturday.

"It's mind-boggling, it's frustrating," said senior guard John Vaughan, who scored 19 points. "We've got to look ourselves in the mirror and figure out how we can be better and make this team better."

The Patriots' late-game problems on the road began Jan. 21, when they stormed into the lead only to allow a Northeastern basket with 25 seconds left and failed to attempt a potential game-winning shot in the one-point loss. Three days later at VCU, they trimmed a 15-point deficit to one before fading in the final four minutes. And last Saturday, after recovering from a nine-point deficit at ODU, they missed five of their last six shots and lost by two.

Against the Dukes, George Mason (16-7, 9-4) scored 13 consecutive points to seize a 60-57 lead. Darryl Monroe (13 points) was dominating the lane, the guards were finding their range and, in one stretch, the defense forced five consecutive turnovers. But after Monroe's turnaround jumper provided a one-point edge with three minutes left, the Patriots shot 1 for 7, including freshman Ryan Pearson's two-handed heave from beyond half court that hit the backboard and rim at the buzzer.

George Mason's losses have been by a combined 23 points and none by more than six.

Pearson's desperation shot (following the third missed free throw by JMU in four attempts) triggered a court-storming celebration by the fans, who had not witnessed a victory over the Patriots since 2004.

The Dukes (16-9, 8-5) won despite playing without leading scorer and rebounder Juwann James, who has missed 10 games with health issues. At halftime they lost freshman Andrey Semenov, who was taken to a hospital with dizziness. But fueled by Kyle Swanston's five three-pointers and 19 points, JMU turned a four-point halftime lead into a 14-point advantage with 15 1/2 minutes left.

"It's really about your defensive intensity and your readiness to play defense," Patriots Coach Jim Larranaga said. "They were able to do what they wanted on offense."

George Mason used Vaughan's three-pointer, full-court pressure and Monroe's inside work to mount the comeback. Andre Cornelius's layup put the Patriots ahead and Monroe's fadeaway made it 60-57. However, "we stopped attacking for a second once we got the lead," Monroe said, "and they were still on the attack."

JMU's Dazzmond Thornton scored twice inside and Devon Moore made four free throws for a 67-64 lead. Cornelius and Cam Long missed three-pointers before Vaughan's layup with four seconds left cut the deficit to one and Moore made a free throw.

"Once we started playing with energy and doing the right things on defense -- our principles -- we were able to get the lead," Vaughan said. "But it has to be before we get down by 14."