Mason Chokes Again

By Broadside Staff Writer Ryan Dempsey

Last Thursday, the men’s basketball team (16-8, 9-5) traveled to the University of Delaware to take on the Blue Hens (11-15, 5-9). The Patriots had hopes of moving closer to the top spot of the Colonial Athletic Association, but their rally fell short as the team suffered another loss on the road losing to Delaware, 66-58.

Once again, the Patriots traveled to another school and allowed their opponents to build a large lead. The Patriots fought back throughout the second half to close the deficit and took the lead within the last five minutes of the game. Mason did not execute on important possessions down the stretch, and ended up losing another game on the road. This story has unfortunately been a familiar one throughout this season for Mason.

The Patriots started the game with great inside attack and shot the ball consistently at a high percentage. The major problem with the first half for Mason was the plethora of turnovers. The Patriots committed one turnover nearly every four possessions. The Patriots also struggled throughout the first half shooting 6-of-14 at the line. Delaware capitalized on Mason’s mistakes, making nine shots from behind the arc and committing just one turnover. At halftime, the Blue Hens led 42-28.

During the second half, Delaware stretched its lead to 17 points before the Patriots came back from its largest deficit of the season with an 18-2 run. This scoring run of dominant inside presence and great defensive attack allowed the Patriots to pull within one point with just more than eight minutes left in the game. Mason was finally able to take the lead with 4:14 left to play thanks to senior forward Darryl Monroe scoring on back-to-back possessions. With a costly travel called on the Patriots with 3:23 left to play, and the game tied, Delaware quickly scored to regain the lead. The remainder of the game dwindled down as the Blue Hens handed the Patriots its fifth consecutive road loss, closing the game with a 10-2 run.

Monroe had a career high of 27 points and shot 80 percent from the field, but struggled at the foul line making only 3-of-10 free throws. Monroe also recorded a double-double on the night, adding 11 rebounds to his résumé. The only other player to score in double digits was senior guard John Vaughan with 10, who was held scoreless in the first half.

The Patriots were very impressive with their offensive attack, shooting 50 percent from the field as well as getting 10 offensive rebounds. The only things Mason lacked from the offensive side of the ball were eight costly turnovers in the first half, missing all nine attempts from the 3-point line, and converting only 44 percent from the free-throw line making only 10-of-23 shots.

From a defensive perspective, the Patriots really stepped up their game in the second half. In the first 12 minutes of the second half, Mason allowed only three Blue Hen field goals. In addition, Mason stole the ball seven times in the game, and held Delaware to just 40 percent shooting. The factor that decided the game in the end was Delaware’s ability to score 11 times from 3-point range. Even with a Patriot’s hand in the face of a Blue Hen, Delaware was successfully able to convert from outside.

The Patriot’s next road game is scheduled for Saturday, February 21 against the Creighton University Bluejays.