GMU men fall for first time this season

The George Mason men’s basketball team tasted defeat for the first time this season thanks to anemic shooting, falling to Hampton 50-44 on the road.

The Patriots wasted a game-high 15 points from junior forward Louis Birdsong and a double-double from senior Darryl Monroe with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Trailing by just three points at the half, GMU fared no better in the second half shooting 33.3 percent from the field. No Patriot made more than Birdsong’s seven field goals and Mason shot from the foul line only seven times compared to Hampton’s 22 attempts.

Senior guard Dre Smith added six points with senior John Vaughan and sophomore Cam Long each recording four.

Mason’s defense kept the game close, allowing Hampton a similarly poor shooting performance as the Pirates made 37.5 percent of their tries. The Pirates were led by freshman Kwame Morgan’s nine points while Michael Freeman and Donte Harrison each scored eight.

George Mason (2-1) heads to East Carolina (3-0) Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. tip-off, before returning home Nov. 25 to face Mount Saint Mary’s at 7 p.m.