Mason Wins Against Towson, 56-48

By Broadside Staff Writer Fox Parker

With 25 seconds remaining in the game, sophomore guard Cam Long made a contested fade-away 3-pointer as the shot clock expired. The shot gave George Mason Patriots a commanding 54-48 lead over the Towson Tigers.

Mason would go on to beat Towson 56-48

Towson had the slightest glimmer of hope for a comeback, but the Tigers missed a handful of 3-point attempts. The Patriots held Towson without a basket in the final 3:57.

The fact that Long made such an incredible difficult shot was not the impressive part. Long was able to release the ball cleanly, which was the true accomplishment. Towson hosted a Maryland style block party at the Richmond Coliseum on Sunday.

They blocked 10 and altered many more.

Towson’s tenacious defense made for a scrappy fast-paced game, but it also proved to be the Tigers downfall. Toward the end of the second half, Towson was tired was tired and lethargic on both ends of the court.

The Patriots trailed 43-37 with 9:08 remaining in the second half, but the team played harder on defense and began to cut into Towson’s lead. The Tigers missed what should have been easy layups and dunks. It quickly became clear that the Tigers could not keep pace with the energetic Patriots.

At the beginning of the game Mason jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, but Towson capitalized on Mason’s early inconsistency at the free throw line and mounted a comeback.

Towson defense also helped facilitate the comeback. The Tigers played extremely aggressive on defense throughout the entire game, challenging Patriot ball-handlers and disrupting passing lanes. The Tigers forced 10 turnovers in the first half. Six of Towson’s 26 first-half points came off fast-breaks, which were caused by turnovers.

Mason was bothered by Towson’s length and athleticism. The Tigers had six steals and five blocks in the first half.

Despite Towson’s pressure, Mason went into the half leading 29-26. The three-point lead came from a 3-pointer made by senior guard Dre Smith as time expired.

Mason collected nine offensive rebounds in the first half and converted those rebounds into 10 second chance points.