In winning five of their first six games this season, the George Mason men's basketball team played one close game after another. Tense, down to the wire affairs that saw the game decided in the final minutes. On Thursday night against Drexel in the first Colonial Athletic Association game of the season, the Patriots seemed to say "enough."

The Patriots used a 25-4 run in the first half to effectively end the game after just 20 minutes as Mason (6-1, 1-0) downed Drexel (5-2, 0-1) 85-38 at Patriot Center in front of 7,121 fans. The Patriots took a 40-15 lead into the break and never looked back.

It was Mason's largest margin of victory ever in a CAA game. The last time Mason beat a team by as many as 47 was a 106-55 win over Howard on Dec. 1, 1998.

Leading 6-5 after four minutes of play, the Patriots shifted into a different gear. Layups, jumpers, 3-pointers, steals and transition baskets were all on display. Nine different players scored in the first half while just four Dragons found the scoring column. Mason finished the half shooting 48.5 percent from the field while limiting Drexel to 26.9 percent. Mason had eight offensive rebounds, a 24-14 edge on the boards, a 12-3 advantage in assists and the Patriots made twice as many field goals as the Dragons.

The Patriots came out for the second half intent on eradicating any Drexel hope for a comeback as Mason opened the stanza with eight unanswered points and used a 16-3 run to build a 38-point lead.

Jay Threatt was the only Patriot that didn't score and he finished with one rebound and two assists. Chris Fleming had a career-high 10 as four Patriots were in double figures. Dre Smith had 16, Folarin Campbell had 11 and Will Thomas had 10. Mason shot better than 50 percent for the first time all year and outrebounded Drexel 42-28. The Patriots also had a 23-7 edge in assists.

Mason will next take the court on Sunday afternoon when the Patriots take part in the BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center. This is the fourth straight season Mason has appeared in the BB&T Classic. The Patriots will take on East Carolina at 5 p.m. Prior to Mason's game, George Washington will face Auburn. Following the game, Maryland will take on VCU.