Tribe Men’s Basketball Falls to George Mason, 78-62

W&M’s Nick D’Antoni, Adam Hess Record Double-Doubles

01/31/04 11:04PM

FAIRFAX, VA - William and Mary senior forward Adam Hess (Grosse Pointe, MI) had 18 points and 12 rebounds, while junior guard Nick D’Antoni (Mrytle Beach, SC) had 13 points and tied a career high with 11 assists, as the Tribe men’s basketball team fell at George Mason, 78-62, this afternoon at the Patriot Center.

The loss drops the Tribe’s record to 6-14 overall and 3-8 in the Colonial Athletic Association. GMU improves to 13-6 (6-4 CAA).

W&M started off well, using a pair of threes by D’Antoni to help open the game with a 10-0 lead just over two minutes into the game. The Patriots used an 11-5 run to close to within four with 14:23 remaining, but again W&M pushed ahead by double-figures, leading, 35-25 at the 6:22 mark on yet another three by D’Antoni. GMU closed out the half with a 15-5 run, however, tying the game at 40 on a three-pointer by Tony Skinn with two seconds left in the half.

The Patriots continued their momentum in the second, opening up an eight-point, 50-42, advantage. But the Tribe stormed back with eight straight points to tie the game at 50. The two teams traded baskets, pushing the score to 56-56. However, that began a back-breaking, 13-0 run by the Patriots, as the Tribe was held scoreless for more than six minutes, and trailed 67-56 with 4:02 to play. GMU held on from there to win, 78-62.

Along with Hess and D’Antoni, senior forward Zeb Cope scored in double figures for the Tribe with 15 points. GMU’s Jai Lewis led all scorers with 21 points, while Mark Davis added 19, Skinn had 12 and Kevin Mickens scored 10 for the Patriots. W&M out rebounded GMU, 41-32 in the game.

The Tribe returns to action on Wednesday, February 4, with a 7:00 PM home game against James Madison.


Box Score

Post-Game Quotes from W&M Head Coach Tony Shaver
“I felt that we gave a great effort. [George Mason] is a fantastic basketball team. They’re talented and they make tough plays. A lot of times in that stretch I thought that we defended pretty well and they just made tough shots.”

“We fought hard. I think that we lost our composure at times. The turnovers really killed us in the last 10 minutes of the ballgame. You just can’t turn it over. They’re pressure is very good, they’re very quick and very athletic.”