Men’s Basketball wins big in exhibition contest

The George Mason Men’s Basketball team defeated the Bowie State Bulldogs, 113-73, in an exhibition match Wednesday night.

The Patriots displayed their hard work and team bonding that grew from the Italy trip over the summer. It was also an opportunity to give some new faces, such as freshmen Jonathan Arledge and Bryon Allen, some playing time.

The Patriots were on fire for the majority of the game, as both the new and familiar faces put on a scoring fest for the crowd. They had complete domination as the game progressed, as the final score indicates.

After the Patriots pulled away from the Bulldogs, Coach Jim Larranaga began to focus on giving all players some court time rather than scoring. He gave the whole team a chance to shine early in the season.

And the Patriots did just that, raising the proud fans sporting gold and green, especially the Patriot Platoon, to their feet.

In the first half, sophomore guard/forward Luke Hancock had the hot hand, topping scoring with 11 points.

Junior Mike Morrison put up nine points and a team-leading four rebounds in the first half. Cam Long led assists dishing out seven of the Patriot’s 13.

The Bulldogs threw a challenge early on, however. They cut the lead on several occasions in the first half, and the Patriots merely maintained a five-point plus lead until about five minutes remaining in the half.

Then the action started as the Patriots began to pull away. By the end of the half the lead was up to 10.

“We started out a little sluggish, but we definitely picked it up and played strong in the second half,” senior Cam Long said. “The emphasis on this game was effort and giving everyone a chance to show what they have.”

One positive note for Larranaga’s crew from the first half was the three-point shooting. The Patriots hit six threes in the half.

The second half was met with a very enthusiastic crowd, pumped up by the Patriot’s impressive play. Just two minutes into the half, the Patriots went up 15 points, and over the next two minutes the lead quickly extended to 21 points.

Freshman Bryon Allen received a lot of fan approval as he racked up 10 points with 10 minutes still remaining. With just under 10 minutes left on the clock, the Patriots eclipsed the 80-point mark, winning every fan in the stadium a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich.

Allen went on to hit a three to get the Patriot’s into the triple digits.

“The elements are there to be successful,” Larranaga said. “The key is being able to sustain focus and work on consistency.”