Folarin Campbell scored 13 points and drained a crucial pair of free throws with 0:20 remaining to ice a 71-68 CAA victory over Northeastern Monday night at Matthews Arena.
The Huskies (6-5, 2-1 CAA) battled back from an 11-point deficit with 17:28 to play in the second half, with a 19-2 run over a period of 4:36 by converting seven of their next eight shots to build a six-point lead at the 12:52 mark. The two teams clashed back-and-forth in a fast-paced half in which each team possessed the lead three times. Northeastern held a one-point advantage at 69-68 before a Jai Lewis layup gave Mason (8-4, 2-1 CAA) the lead for good. With the clock winding down and the ball in GMU's possession, the Huskies turned to fouls, sending Campbell to the line where he extended the Patriots' lead to three.
With a final possession, the Huskies moved the ball around the arc until Aaron Davis got off a three with 0:10 on the clock. The shot rattled out and Mason's Tony Skinn grabbed the rebound, but collided with a teammate in midair, falling to the ground and being whistled for a travel. With one final chance, the Huskies put the ball in the hands of Barea, but his final attempt wouldn't fall, giving the Patriots their seventh win in nine games and the Huskies their fourth consecutive loss.
In the first half, Bobby Kelly's 3-point field goal at 12:20 gave the Huskies a 14-13 advantage, capping an 8-2 run over a 3:17 span. But the Patriots answered with 10-0 run, to take their largest lead of the half with a nine-point advantage at the 8:38 mark. However, Northeastern regrouped and put together a 9-0 run to even matters at 6:50 by sinking three straight buckets and a pair of free throws by Barea. Mason would build its lead back to eight, but Barea converted 2-of-3 free throws in the final second of the half, to close the Patriots' lead at the break to 37-31.
Jai Lewis led all Patriot scorers with 19 points, as GMU outscored Northeastern in the paint 48-30 on the night. Campbell grabbed eight rebounds to go with his 13 points, while Skinn had 17 points and five assists and Will Thomas chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds. George Mason shot 47.7 percent from the floor overall and 16-of-31 (51.6 percent) in the first half.
For Northeastern, Barea led the way with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He also surpassed former Husky-great Mark Halsel (1980-84) for third on the NU all-time field goals list, as he now has 650 career buckets. Shawn James also broke a milestone, as he recorded his 200th career block with the fourth of his six blocks. He also notched a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Kelly, who leads the CAA in shooting percentage, converted 5-of-8 shots (4-of-5 on 3-pointers) for 14 points and Aaron Davis added 11. The Huskies, who have shot just 35.2 percent in their previous three games, managed a 40.0 percent shooting-night, thanks to a 15-of-31 (48.4 percent) second half effort.
The Huskies conclude their three game home stand by welcoming Georgia State to Matthews Arena on Thurs., Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. They finish the week on Saturday, Jan. 7, by traveling to Norfolk, Va. to take on Old Dominion in the CAA Game of the Week, beginning at Noon and televised in the Boston area on CN8.
Official Basketball Box Score
George Mason vs Northeastern
1/2/06 7:30 pm at Matthews Arena (Boston, Mass.)
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VISITORS: George Mason 8-4, 2-1 CAA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
01 Skinn, Tony......... * 7-13 3-6 0-0 0 4 4 4 17 5 5 0 3 34
22 Butler, Lamar....... * 3-10 0-5 0-0 0 2 2 2 6 3 1 0 0 35
34 Thomas, Will........ * 6-9 0-0 0-0 1 4 5 0 12 3 0 2 2 32
42 Campbell, Folarin... * 4-9 0-2 5-6 2 6 8 2 13 1 1 1 0 32
55 Lewis, Jai.......... * 9-17 0-1 1-3 4 3 7 2 19 3 1 2 2 33
05 Norwood, Gabe....... 0-3 0-1 0-0 1 2 3 1 0 2 1 0 0 18
50 Hernandez, Sammy.... 2-4 0-1 0-0 2 5 7 2 4 2 0 0 0 16
TEAM................ 3 3
Totals.............. 31-65 3-16 6-9 10 29 39 13 71 19 9 5 7 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 16-31 51.6% 2nd Half: 15-34 44.1% Game: 47.7% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-10 20.0% 2nd Half: 1-6 16.7% Game: 18.8% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 3-4 75.0% 2nd Half: 3-5 60.0% Game: 66.7% 1
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HOME TEAM: Northeastern 6-5, 2-1 CAA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
05 Barea, Jose Juan.... * 6-21 2-10 8-11 0 7 7 4 22 6 4 0 2 33
12 Davis, Aaron........ * 5-12 1-6 0-0 1 1 2 0 11 0 0 0 0 35
14 Davis, Bennet....... * 4-5 0-0 0-0 4 3 7 1 8 2 1 2 0 32
21 James, Shawn........ * 5-12 1-2 0-0 3 11 14 3 11 1 3 6 1 38
22 Kelly, Bobby........ * 5-8 4-5 0-0 0 3 3 0 14 4 0 0 1 34
04 Cyprian, Chris...... 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8
11 Martinez, Adrian.... 1-3 0-2 0-1 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 10
33 Cole, Janon......... 0-3 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 1 0 2 2 0 0 10
TEAM................ 2 2
Totals.............. 26-65 8-26 8-12 11 26 37 11 68 15 10 8 5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-34 32.4% 2nd Half: 15-31 48.4% Game: 40.0% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 3-13 23.1% 2nd Half: 5-13 38.5% Game: 30.8% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 6-8 75.0% 2nd Half: 2-4 50.0% Game: 66.7% 3
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Officials: Duke Edsall, Mike Eades, Brian O'Connell
Technical fouls: George Mason-None. Northeastern-None.
Attendance: 1206
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
George Mason.................. 37 34 - 71
Northeastern.................. 31 37 - 68
Shawn James: First NU player with 200 career blocks (202)
Points in the paint-MASON 48,NU 30. Points off turnovers-MASON 10,NU 7.
2nd chance points-MASON 7,NU 17. Fast break points-MASON 14,NU 11.
Bench points-MASON 4,NU 2. Score tied-5 times. Lead changed-8 times.
Last FG-MASON 2nd-01:27, NU 2nd-01:55.
