Jan. 15, 2005
NORFOLK, VA -Alex Loughton's (Perth, Australia) double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds helped propel the Old Dominion men's basketball team to a 71-58 victory over the George Mason Patriots Saturday afternoon at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. With the win, the Monarchs improve to 5-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association and 15-2 overall. Head Coach Blaine Taylor now is just one win shy of 200 for his career, with a 199-110 career record. The Patriots drop to 2-3 in the CAA and 7-7 overall.
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George Mason held an early 6-2 lead, just four minutes into the game, before the Monarchs went on a 7-0 run to grab a 9-6 lead, with Alex Loughton scoring seven of his game-high 18 points during the run. The Patriots came back to take a 13-12 lead at the 12:12 mark of the half, but a three-pointer by Valdas Vasylius (Klaipeda, Lithuania) gave ODU a 15-13 advantage. With 7:27 left in the half, the Monarchs held a narrow lead, 20-19, when Isaiah Hunter (Charlotte, NC) connected on a three-pointer to take a 23-19 lead. With the game tied at 23-23, ODU went on a 10-0 run, led by back-to-back three pointers by Drew Williamson (Burlington, NC) and Isaiah Hunter. The Patriots cut the lead down to four points, 33-29, with a minute left in the half, but Kiah Thomas (Norfolk, VA/Granby) hit a three-pointer with half a minute remaining to give the Monarchs a 36-29 lead going into halftime.
Isaiah Hunter and Arnaud Dahi (Ivory Coast, Africa) both scored three-pointers early in the second half to give ODU a 13-point lead, 42-29, and by the 14:20 mark of the half, the Monarchs held a 20-point edge, 53-33. The Monarchs continued to extend their lead, grabbing a 26-point edge, 60-34, with 9:32 left in the half, before George Mason rallied to cut the lead down to 18 points, 65-47, with just under three minutes left in the half. The Monarchs took a 18-point lead, 71-53, after John Morris (Camp Hill, PA) three-pointer, but a pair of free throws and a three-pointer by Jordan Carter for the Patriots ended the game, with ODU taking the 71-58 edge.
For the game, Alex Loughton led all scorers with 18 points, and also grabbed 12 rebounds. Isaiah Hunter scored 14 points for the Monarchs, and Drew Williamson added 11. Will Thomas led George Mason scorers with 12 points, also grabbing 11 rebounds for a double-double, and Jai Lewis had 11 points. As a team, ODU out-rebounded George Mason 38-37, and out-shot the Patriots 43% to 40%. The Monarchs connected on 11 three-pointers during the contest.
The Monarchs return to action Wednesday night, when they play at Hofstra. Game time is at 7:00.