Northeastern vs. George Mason recap: Patriots fall in CAA opener

The George Mason Patriots couldn't hold a seven-point halftime lead and dropped their CAA opener to the Northeastern Huskies, 84-74.

George Mason built its lead to as many as nine points late in the first half, behind Erik Copes, who finished with seven points and nine rebounds, and Sherrod Wright, who finished with a team-high 19 points.

But after cutting the halftime deficit to seven points, the Huskies started the second half hot, tying the score at 42-42 behind Jonathan Lee, who paced Northeastern with 20 points on the night. George Mason would hold off that first charge, extending their lead out to six points on the strength of Wright's sharp shooting, but the Patriots didn't respond to Northeastern's second charge as well.

Zach Stahl, who finished with 15 points, helped give the Huskies the lead with 10 of Northeastern's 13 points in less than four minutes. The Huskies wouldn't again trail after that run, extending their lead out to as many as 11 points before recording the 10-point victory.