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The Patriots have now won 13-straight games, giving them the longest active streak in the country. Ryan Pearson had 21 points and 15 rebounds in the win.
The ESPN Bracket Buster event has a tendency to include lots of close games. That's just what happens when you throw together over a hundred teams from mid-major conferences, most of whom have never met before. These teams are all trying to get into the NCAA Tournament, and a win this weekend would be a great way to help do it. While a loss could ruin the hopes for some teams.
GMU isn't necessarily one of those teams. The George Mason Patriots are likely to win the CAA this season. They'll earn the top seed in the CAA Tournament and will probably get an at-large bid into the 68-team NCAA Tournament even if they don't win their conference.
But a loss today to the Northern Iowa Panthers would end the Patriots' 12-game winning streak, and surely wouldn't help their confidence heading into the final portion of the CAA season. The Panthers, who are undefeated at home in non-conference action, lead 36-32 at halftime..
Andre Cornelius and Kwadzo Ahelegbe each had 13 points in the first half.
The George Mason Patriots are heading out west tonight in an important non-conference matchup against the Northern Iowa Panthers. The game is part of the ESPN Brackbuster Competition that George Mason has participated in the past six years.
The Patriots enter tonight's game on a 12-game winning streak, which is the longest active streak of any team in the country. But they aren't likely to have an easy time extending the streak tonight as UNI is undefeated at home this season in non-conference play.
With their decisive win over the VCU Rams earlier this week, George Mason clinched at least a share of the 2011 CAA regular season championship. The Patriots have three players who average double-digit scoring, as Cam Long, Ryan Pearson, and Luke Hancock all are having productive seasons. To win tonight, they'll have to deal with Kwadzo Ahelegbe, who averages 13.9 points per game for the Panthers.
The Patriots are 2-4 all-time in the ESPN Bracket Buster Competition, which features 114 teams and 57 games this year. Tonight's game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
George Mason Vs. Northern Iowa: Patriots Get 13th Straight Win In ESPN Bracket Buster Event
The George Mason Patriots extended the longest active winning streak in the country to 13 games with a win over the Northern Iowa Panthers tonight. It was the second win for a local team in the ESPN Bracket Buster event as the Virginia Commonwealth Rams won last night.
The Panthers led most of the game after pulling in front of the Patriots mid-way through the first half in a game dominated by three-point shooting. George Mason made nine of 21 attempts from behind the three-point line, while UNI made an impressive 13 of 29 three-point shots.
The Patriots out-rebounded their opponents 30-22 in this road win that was much closer than the 77-71 final score. Kwadzo Ahelegbe of UNI was the game's leading scorer with 26 points, but Andre Cornelius scored 24 points and Ryan Pearson scored 21 for the Patriots. Pearson made all 13 of his free throw attempts and had 15 rebounds.
George Mason will take their 14th ranked field goal percentage in the country back home to face the Northeastern Huskies on Thursday night. And since they've won two important games this week, they might do it for the first time as a member of the top 25.
Feb 19 9:28p by Martin Shatzer - 0 comments