By Sean Kennedy
Yesterday’s Action
George Mason 80, Pennsylvania 77
The script was different but the result ultimately the same, as the Quakers went down to the wire once again, ultimately falling short to drop their sixth straight game. Unlike their previous outing against Rider, this time it was the opposing Patriots who broke open a double-digit lead in the second half, and the Quakers’ turn to make a furious rally. Tony Hicks hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to pull Penn within three, and after two missed free throws by George Mason, the Quakers had one final shot to send the game to overtime. However, despite a team-high 23 points, Hicks’ final shot attempt did not find the bottom of the net, and Penn had to settle for another moral victory in what has been a disappointing season.
In addition to Hicks’ four threes in the game, Miles Jackson-Cartwright hit four threes of his own for 16 points. With Darien Nelson-Henry still out, Fran Dougherty assumed an even greater role in the frontcourt, and nearly tallied a double-double with 17 points and 9 rebounds. However, Penn had no answer for George Mason’s Bryon Allen. The senior guard dropped a game-high 24 points, leading a parade to the free throw line a day after New Years (11-11 at the line). While it was another strong offensive effort for a Penn club that generally struggles to score the ball, they still need to put both phases of the game together and break this slide. Their next opportunity is this weekend against La Salle.
Today’s Action
8:00 PM: Drexel (8-4, 0-0 CAA) @ Southern Miss (12-2, 0-0 C-USA)
Following their worst shooting performance of the year in a disappointing loss to Buffalo, Drexel will look to hit the broad side of a barn in their final non-conference game of the year against the Golden Eagles. Southern Miss is coming off a 27-win season that saw them finish second in the conference before losing to Memphis in the conference championship game in double overtime. This year, although they’ve arrived at their 12-2 record through a fair bit of luck, Southern Miss is still a formidable team, shooting a solid 46.9% from the field, and sitting 13th in the nation at 9.4 steals per game.
As to be expected with a team playing at one of the slower paces in college basketball, their leading scorer, 5’11” senior Neil Watson, averages just 12.5 points per game, but shoots an exemplary 91.2% from the line and 42.1% from three. He and fellow senior swingman Michael Craig lead the team in the steals, with Craig controlling the glass for the Eagles at 7.3 rebounds per game, while also chipping in 10.5 points per contest. Drexel is going through a bit of a slump with losses in two of their past 3 games; they’ll need to turn things around and do a much better job shooting the basketball if they’re to knock off the Golden Eagles in their house.
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