George Mason 86, Northeastern 60

Published Jan. 12, 2011 10:44 p.m. ET

foxsports

Ryan Pearson scored 24 points and Cam Long added 20 to lead George Mason to an 86-60 win over Northeastern on Wednesday night.

The Patriots (11-5, 3-2 Colonial Athletic Association) led 43-26 at halftime thanks to a 17-of-23 shooting performance (73.9 percent) in the opening half.

George Mason cooled off in the second half - shooting 16 of 26 from the floor (61.5 percent) - but managed to extend its lead to 73-41 on Pearson's layup with 6:14 left.

Jonathan Lee and Joel Smith scored 16 points apiece for the Huskies (4-12, 0-5), who were outrebounded 28-18 and outscored 46-30 in the paint.

The Patriots finished 33 of 49 from the field (67.3 percent), which is nearly 20 points higher than their season average of 47.7 percent.

Pearson and Long combined to go 18 for 26 (69.2 percent), including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.