George Mason extends Hofstra's slump to 3

Andre Cornelius scored 22 points as George Mason sent Hofstra to its third straight loss, 87-68, in a Colonial Athletic Association game Wednesday night at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.

Charles Jenkins led Hofstra (14-9, 8-4) with 22 points, shooting 8-for-20 from the field, and added seven assists. Mike Moore added 18 points, and reserve Shemiye McLendon had nine points and seven rebounds for the Pride.

Ryan Pearson scored 19 points, Cam Long added 15 and Isaiah Tate had 12 for George Mason (18-5, 10-2), which won its eighth in a row and tied Virginia Commonwealth for the CAA lead.

Cornelius and Pearson each scored 13 points during a 41-21 run that gave George Mason a 49-34 lead at halftime. Hofstra, which had trailed by 19, cut its deficit to 72-61 on a jumper by Moore with 7:18 left. But a 6-0 spurt gave George Mason a 78-61 lead with 5:25 to go.

The Patriots were 10-for-18 from three-point range and shot 46.8 percent from the field, compared with only 39 percent for the Pride.

With the score tied at 15, a weird play victimized Hofstra. Pearson tried to make a perimeter pass, but a Hofstra defender stepped in front of it and knocked the ball in the other direction for an apparent fast break. The ball, though, hit the trail official and bounced straight to an unguarded Pearson, who turned and made a three-pointer from near the top of the key.