Feb. 13, 2010
NORFOLK, Va. - Junior guard Ben Finney tied his season-high with 19 points to go along with a career-high tying seven assists and seven rebounds to lead Old Dominion to a 76-60 win over CAA rival George Mason Saturday afternoon at the Ted Constant Center.
ODU and Northeastern are now tied for first in the CAA after William and Mary beatthe Huskies, 53-52.
Finney was joined in double-figures by seniors Gerald Lee and Marsharee Neely, who scored 16 and 12 respectively. Junior Frank Hassell was one rebound shy a double-double with 10 points and game-high nine boards.
Head Coach Blaine Taylor has led Old Dominion (20-7, 12-3 CAA) to five 20-win seasons in the last six years.
George Mason (16-10, 11-4) was led by Andre Cornelius, who scored 13 points and hit three three-point field goals. The Patriots have now dropped three of their last four games.
Old Dominion quickly gave the sell-out crowd something to cheer for as the Monarchs tallied 17 consecutive points after George Mason scored the first point of the game. The 17-0 run was ODU's largest spurt of the year and the Monarchs defense held the Patriots scoreless for nearly seven minutes.
Mason was able to cut the lead to as little as nine (26-17) at the 3:25 mark of the opening half, but a Neely triple a the halftime buzzer gave the Monarchs a 34-21 lead at the intermission.
ODU opened the second half hot as well, beginning the stanza on a 17-4 run to take a 26-point lead, its largest of the game. Four consecutive Lee free throws would give the Monarchs a 51-25 lead just five minutes into the second half. Mason would get no closer than 17 points the remainder of the game.
Old Dominion out-rebounded George Mason 38-30 and had a significant scoring advantage, 42-26, in the paint. The Monarch defense, ranked third nationally in points allowed per game, forced 18 Patriot turnovers. Neely tied his career-high with four steals in the win.
The sell-out crowd of 8,424 fans was the 14th all-time sellout at the Ted Constant Center.
ODU Sports Hall of Famer Odell Hodge, a member of the CAA's 25th Anniversary teamhad his jersey number 33 retired at halftime.
The Monarchs will look to extend their home winning streak on Tuesday, Feb. 16 as Towson travels to Norfolk for a 7 p.m. tip. Old Dominion won, 87-71, at Towson on Jan. 4 as Lee registered a team-high 19 points and sophomore Kent Bazemore posted 14 points and eight assists.
-ODU-