George Mason entered tonight's game against Virginia Commonwealth with a chance to clinch the CAA title with a win and a loss by Old Dominion. The Monarchs aren't cooperating, but George Mason left no doubt which team rules the league. The Patriots routed second-place Virginia Commonwealth on the road tonight 71-51, surging ahead early, late and everywhere in between for their 12th-straight win.
George Mason moves to 22-5 and 14-2 in the CAA, while VCU falls to 20-8 and 12-4 in the league. Ryan Pearson led the way with 18 points and eight, while Cam Long, Vertrail Vaughns, Luke Hancock Mike Morrison also scored in double figures. The Patriots held VCU to 37-percent shooting, dominating on the defensive end.
The game was all but over when George Mason ripped off an 11-0 run early in the second half to take a 45-24 lead with 15:45 left to go in the half. VCU cut the lead down to 15 when the Patriots unleashed a 10-0 run to take a 61-36 lead on a Pearsen three with 8:31 remaining.
George Mason can clinch the CAA regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the conference tournament with one win or an Old Dominion loss.