G. Mason Falls, Vaughan Injured

Standout Guard 'Was Not Himself' : Old Dominion 72, George Mason 64

NORFOLK, Feb. 9 -- The George Mason Patriots are acutely aware that the margin of error to remain in contention for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament is slight and that substandard performances such as Saturday's 72-64 loss to Old Dominion at Constant Convocation Center are not going to help their cause.

They were never really out of it, but they were never really in it, either.

The Patriots fell behind by seven points after three-plus minutes. They conceded a season-worst 42 first-half points, trailed by 11 at the break and by 15 early in the second half. And with second-leading scorer John Vaughan ineffective because of injury, they relied almost exclusively on seniors Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas to lead a comeback that cut the deficit to five before coming to a halt.

"They countered everything we did," said Campbell, who had a career-high 28 points and, over a 16-minute stretch bridging halftime, combined with Thomas (18 points, 16 rebounds) for all of the team's scoring. The pair combined to shoot 15 of 28, while the rest of the squad was 6 of 30 as Mason, the CAA's field goal percentage leader, shot 36 percent in its worst effort since November.

With the loss, their fourth straight in Norfolk, the Patriots (17-7, 9-4) slipped two games behind first-place Virginia Commonwealth in the Colonial Athletic Association race and, barring a big finish to the regular season, will probably need to win the league tournament to gain an NCAA berth.

Perhaps the biggest concern, though, was Vaughan's left knee -- the same knee that required season-ending surgery before the 2005-06 Final Four campaign. The junior guard said he was hurt late in Thursday's victory at Drexel, and lacked mobility and explosiveness here.

"He obviously was not himself," Coach Jim Larranaga said of Vaughan, whose scoreless effort in 21 minutes ended a 15-game streak of scoring in double figures. "I really probably should have sat him out. I know as a competitor he wanted to be in there."

Vaughan, averaging 14.4 points per game, missed four shots, committed six turnovers and did not play the final seven minutes.

"I am a little worried because it's the same knee," he said, adding that the injury is in a "strange and awkward area" and could be a calf problem. "I tried to give it all I could, but I just felt limited. Coach made the right decision to sit me down."

Vaughan's ineffectiveness was compounded by Dre Smith's continuing slump. Three weeks after setting an NCAA record by making 10 of 10 three-pointers at James Madison, the junior guard shot 3 of 9 for eight points. He made 1 of 5 three-pointers against the Monarchs (12-13, 7-6) and is 4 of 31 since his historic night.

"We needed someone to step up and make shots," Larranaga said. "We needed [Smith] to have a big game. It wasn't there."

Motivated by a 33-point loss at Patriot Center last month, the Monarchs made 5 of 6 shots to start the game. They led by 11 before Thomas established himself to help cut the deficit to two. But Vaughan could not keep up with Abdi Lidonde, who made three three-pointers to trigger a 12-3 run and provide the Monarchs with a 42-31 edge.