Sunday, March 8th, 5:30 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Richmond Coliseum (11,200) -- Richmond, Virginia. Television: Local. Home Record: Towson 6-8, George Mason 14-0. Away Record: Towson 4-11, George Mason 6-9. Neutral Record: Towson 2-2, George Mason 1-0. Conference Record: Towson 5-13, George Mason 13-5. Series Record: George Mason leads, 26-8.

GAME NOTES: In a stunning development, the 11th-seeded Towson Tigers find themselves in the semifinals of the 27th annual Colonial Athletic Association Tournament against the second-seeded George Mason Patriots. The Tigers had to fight their way through Drexel in the first round of the tournament on Friday, posting a 73-62 triumph, and then get by third-seeded Northeastern last night in a 58-54 upset. Towson, which entered this year's event with a 3-7 record all-time in the tournament, is trying to reach the title game for the very first time. As for the Patriots, they were last year's champions with a 68-59 victory versus William & Mary so this is familiar territory. On Saturday George Mason, which is tied with both UNC Wilmington and Old Dominion for the most CAA Tournament championships with four, tackled James Madison with a 61-53 victory to advance. In terms of the all-time series between these two teams, the Tigers lost both meetings earlier this season and now trail by a count of 26-8 against George Mason. The winner of this contest moves to the title game on Monday night to face the survivor of the ODU/VCU meeting.

Junior Hairston recorded a team-best 14 points before fouling out, shooting 6- of-12 from the field, as he helped lead the Towson to an unlikely four-point win against Northeastern on Saturday night. Also scoring in double figures for the squad was Troy Franklin with 13 points as the team got away with 16 turnovers and just 4-of-12 shooting behind the three-point line. The Tigers benefited from holding the Huskies to just 2-of-13 out on the perimeter and watching Northeastern convert a mere 12-of-24 at the free-throw line. Hairston, the leading scorer in each of the last three games for the Tigers, paces the team overall this season with his 13.3 ppg and is also the top rebounder for the group with his 7.3 rpg, adding 56 blocked shots as well. Josh Thornton and Jarrel Smith check in with 10.8 and 10.0 ppg, respectively, while Franklin accounts for a team-best 141 assists in order to offset his 32.1 percent shooting from the floor.

The defense stepped up and played a big role in the win over James Madison on Saturday, limiting the Dukes to a mere 27.4 percent shooting from the field and 4-of-21 behind the three-point line. That sort of effort made it easier for the Patriots to get away with just 36.5 percent shooting of their own and 2-of-13 out on the perimeter. Scoring in double figures for the Patriots were Darryl Monroe and Cam Long with 12 points apiece, followed by John Vaughan with 10 and seven rebounds. In the case of Monroe, he played a mere 16 minutes before fouling out and was guilty of five of the team's 12 turnovers. Monroe is third on the team in scoring at the moment with his 10.7 ppg, trailing both Long and Vaughan who are contributing 11.8 and 11.4 ppg, respectively, for a team that is outscoring opponents by close to seven points per game. More importantly, George Mason has managed to limit opponents to just 39.5 percent shooting from the field and 30.5 percent from three-point range this year.

The Cinderella run for the Tigers has to come to an end at some point and today is as good as any.

Predicted Outcome

George Mason 73, Towson 60