BOX SCORE

RADFORD, Va. – Mike Morrison led George Mason with 17 points to go along with 11 rebounds as the Patriots defeated Radford, 76-61, in non-conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Dedmon Center.
 
The Patriots began the second half 11-of-17 from the floor and used an 18-3 run to take their largest lead of the contest, 60-40, with 11:52 left to play.
 
R.J. Price (Mechanicsville, Va. / Atlee), who finished 9-of-12 from the free throw line, led the Highlanders with 15 points. Brian Darden (Hampton, Va. / Phoebus) added 12 and Tolga Cerrah (Ankara, Turkey) recorded 10.
 
In addition to 18 offensive boards, which led to 21 second-chance points, George Mason outrebounded the Highlanders, 44-33.
 
The Patriots shot 50 percent in the final period and finished the contest at 45 percent (27-60), while holding the Highlanders to just 32.7 percent (18-55).
 
As a team, Radford (3-8) finished 20-of-24 (.833) at the line.
 
After falling behind 32-21, the Highlanders scored the last eight points of the first half capped off by a Cerrah layup at the buzzer, to cut the deficit to 32-29 at the break.
 
George Mason (7-3), which held a 22-12 advantage on the glass in the opening 20 minutes, broke a 14-14 tie with a lengthy run to take an 11-point advantage.

Ryan Pearson (14) and Bryon Allen (11) also hit the 10-point plateau for the Patriots.
 
Radford will enjoy a week-long break for final exams before traveling to Cincinnati on Dec. 17 for a 2 p.m. televised (ESPN3) contest.