Mason ends road trip with win over Radford

Mike Morrison dunks in the Patriots big win over Radford. He amassed 17 points and 11 rebounds in the afternoon game. (Jake McLernon)

Radford, Va. - Coming off a hard-fought loss to UVA, the men’s basketball team (7-3) took the lead at Radford (3-8) early and never looked back. They took one of their biggest leads of the night late in the game, finishing with a 76-61 final score.

Radford’s sole D-I win came by means of a 4-point victory over the CAA’s Delaware Blue Hens to open the season. If the Patriots want to be at the top of the conference, a win at Radford had to come by the likes of a blowout. With stellar defense throughout their 4-game win streak, they held opponents to a 55.5-point scoring average. The Highlanders’ 61 points were the most allowed in a regulation victory.

But it was a game of domination for the Patriots.

Mike Morrison led the team with his first double-double of the season despite flirting with the mark in a 13-point, 9-rebound contest against Albany. In 14 first-half minutes, he let fellow senior forward Ryan Pearson take control down, amassing a mere four points and rebounds.

As his teammates started to turn the ball over – eight of the Patriots’ 13 turnovers occurred in the first half – good looks came less often. The missed layups caused the lead to dwindle.

“First half, we executed well, had some very makeable shots and could not finish them around the rim,” Coach Paul Hewitt said. “Give Radford credit, they battled, took advantage of those mistakes we did.”

But when the offense clicked, Morrison was the happy recipient. In the second half, with the help of 2-pointguard offensive sets, Morrison scoring numbers exploded. He went 5-of-8 from the free throw line en route to a 17-point performance.

“I’ve been saying for a while we have a good team,” Hewitt said. “I don’t think we’re playing as well as we could play. But we’ve got a good team, but there’s still some things we need to keep working on.”

Against the weaker Radford defenders, Pearson grabbed six second-half rebounds, five on defense, to match Morrison’s seven.

“We were just going after it,” Pearson said. “I think, you know, Coach emphasized defensive rebounding a lot, and just attacking the glass, getting your guy out of the way and going to get the ball.”

Freshman forward Eric Copes came off the bench and gave a spark. Six first-half points gave a sputtering Mason offense something to work with. While second-chance shots are common, both teams were getting three and four looks on offense. Four blocks for the game added to a 16-block total. Disappointing numbers from outside, namely the 25 percent 3-point mark, force the Patriots to rely on their inside presence.

The two pointguards played their same styles throughout the game. Sophomore starter Bryon Allen found a better grasp of the role. The turnovers were the fault of his fellow starters, as only two of the team’s 13 turnovers came from Allen. His 11 points, six assists and six rebounds cemented his cause to be the player of the future at the “one.”

“I don’t determine that. They will determine it,” Hewitt said of the playing time at the top of the arc. “They will determine it by how they play.”

Edwards, who may still be dealing with the effects of a concussion sustained on Nov. 28, saw more limited playing time, 21 minutes to Allen’s 31, and seemingly did less with those minutes. He fouled four times in a 2-point, 3-assist effort.

The only extended time Allen missed was a few minutes after he hit his head on the floor during an offensive set.

Those two will be fighting for minutes when senior pointguard Andre Cornelius comes back from a 10-game suspension, the result of some offseason legal troubles. He will return for Mason’s next game, possibly spelling on of his two younger counterparts.

“It gives us more experience,” Allen said of having Cornelius around practice. “I mean, DJ is a great player and he’s going to help us out when he gets back, I know he is.”

The Patriots will need another double-digit scoring performance from most of the starters if their dispersed offense proves to be a success. In Radford, Morrison, Pearson, Allen and sophomore guard Sherrod Wright fell in that category.

They look to start another winning streak after finals are over. They return to action at the Patriot Center on Dec. 21 at 7 p.m.

Turn to CourtsideSeats.OnMason.com for postgame reaction with video, photos and more.