GEORGE MASON STOPS RAMS' BASKETBALL WIN STREAK 2-14-01 FAIRFAX, Va., - Virginia Commonwealths three-game winning streak against Colonial Athletic Association foes came to end Wednesday night as host George Mason shot 54.2 percent from the field en route to a 99-79 victory over the Rams at the Patriot center. The Patriots hit on 19 of their 33 field goal attempts in the first half in building a 48-32 lead at intermission and received a game-high 30 points from senior George Evans. Evans converted 15 of 20 shots on the night and grabbed 10 rebounds as well for the Patriots, who moved a game and a half in front of the Rams in the CAA race with a 10-3 league mark. Sophomore Jesse Young added a career-best 22 points on nine-of-10 shooting for GMU, which improved to 15-9 overall. VCU (15-10, 8-4 CAA) was paced by sophomore Willie Taylor (Smyrna, Tenn./LaVergne), who made seven-of-11 field goal attempts for a team-high 19 points. Senior Bo Jones (Richmond, Va./Huguenot) was the only other Ram player in double-figures and finished with 16 points in defeat. VCU trailed by just six points (34-28) with 4:39 remaining in the opening period before the Patriots broke the game open with a 11-2 run which gave George Mason a 45-30 advantage with 1:23 left before the break. The Patriots then scored the first six points off the second stanza to go up 54-32 and put the game out of reach. The Rams continue their three-game road swing on Saturday when they visit cross-town rival Richmond in a crucial CAA showdown, followed by a trip to UNC-Wilmington on Wednesday, February 21.