Men's hoops routs Albany to close NIT Season Tip-Off, 66-46

Senior forward Ryan Pearson continued his strong play Tuesday night, racking up 24 points and seven rebounds in Mason's 66-46 victory over the Albany Great Danes (John Powell).

In spite of their early struggles on the road, the Patriots (4-2) have remained dominant in front of the home crowd, as they easily dismantled the Albany Great Danes (2-3) Tuesday night, 66-46, in the final round of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Mason came out on fire both offensively and defensively to open the first half, beginning the game on a dominant 12-0 run.

“We just came out of the gate with a lot of energy,” senior Mike Morrison said.

This came one night after defeating Brown 74-48 also in the Patriot Center, as the Patriots finished the NIT Tip-Off with a record of 3-1.

Despite the hot start, the Patriots cooled down toward the end of the first half and struggled offensively throughout the second half. Their defensive intensity proved to be the deciding factor, as it never waned.

“You let somebody get hot early, they’re going to be hot the whole game,” Morrison said. “If you start them out slow, even when they get good looks, they feel like they’re not going.”

Senior leader Ryan Pearson was the story of the night, going 11-of-18 from the field for 24 points to go long with seven rebounds. He has been unstoppable offensively this season, scoring at least 16 points in each game, including three games over the 20-point mark. He also has three double-doubles on the season.

Morrison also had a big night, finishing just one rebound shy of a double-double, scoring 13 points and snatching nine boards.

“I know I haven’t been the greatest rebounder that I could be, and Coach [Hewitt] is really trying to bring that out in me,” Morrison said.

Redshirt sophomore Sherrod Wright returned to the starting lineup after sitting out the game against Florida Atlantic and coming off the bench in yesterday’s contest due to a hand injury. He appeared to be back in shape, scoring 12 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

Freshman Corey Edwards got the nod at starting point guard for the second straight game over sophomore Bryon Allen, and led the team in assists with four and in steals with three. Although he scored just two points, his primary asset is his on-the-ball defense. 

“He [Edwards] is probably the reason why our defensive pressure has picked up so much, he likes guarding the ball three-quarter court or full court,” Hewitt said.

Although they managed to score just 66 points, the Patriots attacked the hoop aggressively throughout the game, outscoring outscored Albany 52-to-22 in the paint.
 
“We’re bigger and stronger than a lot of people, and we got a lot of people that can attack the rim, so that’s always the first option,” Wright said.

They scored just 14 points outside of the paint, however.

Sharp-shooting Vertrail Vaughns is typically the lone source of outside shooting, but he struggled tonight, going 0-for-5 from three-point land and was held scoreless.

“He [Vaughns] just worked so hard that I think his legs were a little tired,” Hewitt said.

They shot just 2-of-12 from beyond the arc as a team and the mid-range game was non-existent. Although Hewitt stresses attacking the hoop and getting the ball inside, outside shooting will be a major question mark for this team moving forward.

“The key to our team is the big guys,” Wright said. “So Coach [Hewitt] always wants us to play inside out, and most of the time we’ll get an inside-out three or we’ll drive on the close out.”

The Patriots are now 3-0 at home, but are just 1-2 outside of Fairfax with loses to Florida International and Florida Atlantic. With a team full of fresh faces and a new coaching staff, the struggles on the road are another area of concern.

Mason returns to action following Thanksgiving break with a home contest against Bucknell on Nov. 30. That game is followed by a three-game road stretch, highlighted by a matchup at UVa on Dec. 6.