Coppin State began - and ended - the home portion of its nonconference schedule last night, as George Mason took over the perimeter and cruised to a 68-45 romp that marked the worst offensive output Fang Mitchell has endured at the Coppin Center during his 17 seasons as coach of the Eagles.
The revamped Eagles (0-5), who brought back just three players from the worst team Mitchell has ever had, came out sharp with two quick three-pointers and an 8-0 lead. George Mason took command with a 13-0 run, however, and turned a two-point game at the break into a blowout by scoring the first 19 of the second half.
"This is frustrating," Mitchell said. "The character we exhibited on the road against some tough teams ... then we got home, and it's like 'Fright Night.' I didn't like the fight we had. That was embarrassing."
Coppin State won't be home again until Jan. 4. The Eagles will try to notch their first win of the season tomorrow, when they stay in town and open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play at Morgan State.
George Mason (2-3) shot 10-for-18 from three-point range, while undersized Coppin went more than 27 minutes without a basket beyond the arc. The Patriots veterans schooled the Eagles youngsters, as junior guard Raoul Heinen put in 12 of his 18 in the second half and junior forward Mark Davis had 17. Senior forward Larry Tucker led Coppin State with 19 points and eight rebounds.
Jim Larranaga is the only coach in America willing to give Mitchell a home-and-home series, as George Mason is the lone nonconference opponent to visit the Coppin Center since November 1999. The Patriots are just 20 months removed from scaring Maryland in the 2001 NCAA tournament, and return three starters from a team that won 19 games last season.
Pedigrees are usually meaningless to Coppin State, which had Ohio State on the ropes last week in Columbus.
Giving up inches and pounds at every position, the Eagles started three of their five freshmen but bolted to a 14-5 lead in the eighth minute. The Patriots bagged a lazy zone, then answered with a 13-0 run. They never trailed after Jai Lewis, a freshman forward who helped Aberdeen High to a state title in 2000, got them a 16-14 lead. The lead ballooned to 43-26 eight minutes into the second half, before Tucker finally ended the Coppin drought.
Lewis made all five of his shots and finished with 11 points.