Sports
Missing Shots, Missing Mo; Mason Drops Third Consecutive Road Game
|It did not look very good for the men’s basketball team. No shots went their way, Old Dominion held a tight defense, and the only point that came in the first nine minutes was on a free throw from freshman forward Johnny Williams.
“Five of our first six shots I thought were really good . . . but when you miss an easy shot, it’s still a miss,” said Head Coach Jim Larranaga.
The Cost of Winning; Mason Sprinter Deals with, Overcomes Obsession
|In his junior year of high school, Rachaunn Ruffin was ranked nationally for the first time in his life. While most would simply find an award of this stature a simple recognition of their dedication, Ruffin took a very different perspective on the new recognition.
When he was young, Ruffin just played sports that involved running. “I just like running,” said Ruffin of how he began his athletic life. “Every sport that I played, whether it be soccer, football or basketball, as long as I could run, I liked to play.”
Terps Top Mason Injury Bug Bites Mason Wrestling
|The Maryland Terrapins (16-4), ranked 11th in the nation, defeated the George Mason Patriots (3-8) by a final score of 35-6. Sophomore Mendbagana Tovuujav extended his amazing winning streak to nine matches. However, these were the only points scored by the Patriots all night.
The first two matches saw quick covers by the Maryland wrestlers, sophomore Pat Strizki and senior Steve Bell. Sophomore Denny Herndon came off a leg injury from his freshman season and is now beginning to perform a bit better on the leg.
Mason to Take on the Pride on Thursday
|Overview:
Entering Sunday’s game against the Northeastern Huskies, the women’s basketball team had an 8-11 overall record, winning only once in seven contests against the conference opponents. The Hofstra Pride are 11-9 and 4-4 in the conference. The two teams will square off on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Patriot Center.
Mason:
The Patriots dropped its first home game against a conference opponent on Jan. 24 in a 69-55 loss to the William & Mary Tribe after winning its first conference game against the Northeastern Huskies the week prior to that.
Sweep and Sour
|The men’s volleyball team hung with the Ohio State Buckeyes, ranked 13th in the nation, for much of the evening but was unable to capitalize late in the sets as they fell on Thursday evening at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes swept Mason in three sets, 30-24, 33-31, 31-29.
Hancock Dishes the Rock Forward Leads the Freshmen with Effective Bench Play
|With six freshmen on George Mason University’s men’s basketball team, first-year forward Luke Hancock is one of the key players on the team’s young squad. Hancock is currently averaging 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
The Roanoke native was recently ranked 22nd on the Basketball Prospectus’ list of top 25 freshmen. Hancock feels that it was good to receive the exposure at the national level and to be named on the same list with University of Kentucky point guard and potential first overall draft pick John Wall.
Reaching 17 Again Mason Matches School Record in CAA Home Wins
|On Saturday afternoon, the men’s basketball team (15-7, 10-1) topped the James Madison Dukes (10-12, 3-8) by a score of 70-68. Mason’s 17 consecutive home wins against a conference opponent ties a school record that was set in 2001.
This win was the seventh straight for the Patriots. A few hours after the win, the Old Dominion Monarchs lost to the Northeastern Huskies, giving the Patriots sole possession of first place in the conference by a full game.
On the Breakaway Second-Year Roller Hockey Club Flourishes with Young Talent
|When sophomore John Liebold first came to George Mason University, he found out that the school did not offer a roller hockey program. Liebold, who played the sport for the past 14 years, was not ready to give up on hockey.
“In my freshman year, we just started a pickup league team at The Box in Chantilly. It was about the six of us, and we just asked Mason to start a club and went to [the club sports coordinator] Bob Spousta and made it happen for our sophomore year,” said Liebold, club founder of the George Mason Roller Hockey Club.
Gateway to Fame Steroid Users in Jeopardy
|The past decade of baseball has been deemed the “Steroids Era” of the game. Over the past four years, the game’s writers have had a very difficult decision to make in regards to one of the faces of that era.
Four years ago, Mark McGwire became eligible for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was unable to receive the required 75 percent, getting around 23 percent each year.