Patriots Escape with Sloppy Victory

January 21, 2012   ·   1 Comments

Photo Credit: John Powell

by Cody Norman

Mason 72, Towson 60

It certainly was not pretty.

After committing just eight turnovers in a convincing victory over Delaware on Wednesday night, the Patriots came out lackadaisical on Saturday afternoon and narrowly escaped a late-game collapse to defeat the winless Towson Tigers.

“We were very careful over the last couple of days to talk about what we were going to see,” Paul Hewitt said. “But from the very first play, we could see it was like, ‘Wow! Who are these guys out here in the white jerseys?’”

Defensive rebounding continued to be the Achilles heel for the Patriots, allowing 104 rebounds over the last six games including the 23 boards they surrendered to the Tigers. They were outmuscled underneath, yielding a -11 rebounding margin on the night.

“We just have to do a better job on the boards,” Hewitt said. “We’re a talented group. We can guard. When we don’t turn the ball over, we’re pretty dangerous offensively. But it’s getting down to people throwing it up on the glass and then going to get it.”

Since his demotion to the bench, Sherrod Wright has shaken off his midseason struggles and emerged as a dynamic scorer. With a thin five-point advantage late in the second half, Wright canned a tension-breaking 3-pointer to seal the deal for the Patriots. Wright finished with a game-high 22 points, going 7-for-12 from the floor and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.

“That’s what happens when you have a good team,” Hewitt said. “Somebody steps up and they save you. He saved us today.”

Postgame Press Conference – Paul Hewitt

Postgame Press Conference – Ryan Pearson & Sherrod Wright

Postgame Press Conference – Pat Skerry (Towson Head Coach)

Gallery – Mason 72, Towson 60

Seniors Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison struggled to find a rhythm, recording a combined 18 points and eight rebounds. Coupled with their inability to rebound, Morrison spent time in foul trouble and Pearson gave away a game-high five turnovers.

“I think I was just rushing a little bit,” Pearson said. “A couple travels, a couple missed opportunities to get my teammates the basketball. I think I was rushing a little bit and I just played out of my character tonight.”

Despite their lackluster performance, the Patriots improved to 15-5 overall and 7-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association to retain a share for first place in the conference. They’ll be back in action on Monday night for a 9 p.m. home matchup with UNC Wilimington.

The game will be aired on MASN.