It was an ugly first half for the George Mason Patriots, but not nearly as ugly as the halftime score would indicate. The Patriots fell behind 22-0 to start the game and were down 32-4 just nine minutes into the first half. But GMU went on a 17-5 run late to get it as close as 16 points, giving themselves at least a chance in the final twenty minutes. The run came with CAA Player of the Year Ryan Pearson on the bench for a significant portion. Pearson has more turnovers than points in the first half, scoring just one bucket so far. His frontcourt-mate Mike Morrison picked up the slack, scoring 12 points and grabbing six boards to get Mason back within striking distance.
The Rams had no issues on the offensive end, hitting on all cylinders to race out to those 32 points in just nine minutes. They finished the half eight of 13 from behind the arc, for an amazing 62 percent from three-point range. Bradford Burgess and Troy Daniels lead the Rams with 11 points each.
The Patriots will have to hope the Rams continue to cool off to cut the lead to single digits. It would be an incredible comeback if they can pull it off.
For more on the CAA men's basketball tournament 2012, be sure to check out this SB Nation DC StoryStream. Meanwhile, SB Nation's college basketball hub will have all the news and nuggets you need in preparation for March and the madness it brings.