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| [ PHOTO: FOX SPORTS ] |
Peter Solari, Editor in Chief Follow @4PeteSakeNY
Looking to finish non-conference play with a winning record, the George Mason men's basketball team put up a valiant effort on evening, but fell 59-58 to the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan, Kansas.
If you're a Mason fan who tuned out during or after a dismal first half, you probably didn't believe this outcome was even possible.
The Patriots only scored 16 points in the first half, while Kansas State finished the stanza on a 20-2 run and took a 36-16 lead into the break. But the second half was an entirely different story.
The Wildcats still had a 20-point advantage with just under 13 minutes to play in the second half, but a 17-5 run brought the Patriots back to within single digits.
A pair of 3-pointers from Kansas State's Kamau Stokes gave the Wildcats some breathing room, but the Patriots continued to fight and closed the gap to a single point on a Javon Greene bucket with under a minute to play.
Kansas State attempted to ice the game on the ensuing possession, but Cartier Diarra's 3-point attempt went in-and-out, and Mason Jarred Reuter grabbed the rebound with 17 seconds left, leaving the door open for the Patriots to pull off an upset.
The Patriots appeared to squander their golden opportunity when Justin Kier's contested runner fell short in the final seconds, and Barry Brown pulled down the rebound for Kansas State, but Brown was quickly whistled for a double-dribble, giving the Patriots one last chance at a game-winning shot, with 1.2 seconds left.
But it wasn't meant to be.
Ian Boyd couldn't handle a hard inbound pass, and Stokes was able to tip the ball away and seal a hard-fought victory for Kansas State, improving the Wildcats record to 10-2. With the loss, Mason falls to 6-7.
Kier's 15 points led the way for George Mason. Greene contributed 12 points and 7 rebounds of his own, and Reuter added 11 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.
Stokes paced the Wildcats with a game-high 20 points, while Xavier Sneed added 13 points to go along with his game-high 9 rebounds. Brown finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds.
Both teams will start 2019 by opening conference play.
George Mason will open Atlantic 10 play in Philadelphia against St. Joseph's on Thursday. Kansas State will host Big 12 foe Texas on Tuesday.
Looking to finish non-conference play with a winning record, the George Mason men's basketball team put up a valiant effort on evening, but fell 59-58 to the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan, Kansas.
If you're a Mason fan who tuned out during or after a dismal first half, you probably didn't believe this outcome was even possible.
The Patriots only scored 16 points in the first half, while Kansas State finished the stanza on a 20-2 run and took a 36-16 lead into the break. But the second half was an entirely different story.
The Wildcats still had a 20-point advantage with just under 13 minutes to play in the second half, but a 17-5 run brought the Patriots back to within single digits.
A pair of 3-pointers from Kansas State's Kamau Stokes gave the Wildcats some breathing room, but the Patriots continued to fight and closed the gap to a single point on a Javon Greene bucket with under a minute to play.
Kansas State attempted to ice the game on the ensuing possession, but Cartier Diarra's 3-point attempt went in-and-out, and Mason Jarred Reuter grabbed the rebound with 17 seconds left, leaving the door open for the Patriots to pull off an upset.
The Patriots appeared to squander their golden opportunity when Justin Kier's contested runner fell short in the final seconds, and Barry Brown pulled down the rebound for Kansas State, but Brown was quickly whistled for a double-dribble, giving the Patriots one last chance at a game-winning shot, with 1.2 seconds left.
But it wasn't meant to be.
With 1.2 seconds on the clock, K-State guard Kamau Stokes tips the ball away from George Mason’s Ian Boyd, preventing the Patriots from scoring. The Wildcats defeated the Patriots with a final score of 59-58. (Alex Todd | Collegian Media Group) pic.twitter.com/jyYEW14zEP— K-State Collegian (@kstatecollegian) December 30, 2018
Ian Boyd couldn't handle a hard inbound pass, and Stokes was able to tip the ball away and seal a hard-fought victory for Kansas State, improving the Wildcats record to 10-2. With the loss, Mason falls to 6-7.
Kier's 15 points led the way for George Mason. Greene contributed 12 points and 7 rebounds of his own, and Reuter added 11 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.
Stokes paced the Wildcats with a game-high 20 points, while Xavier Sneed added 13 points to go along with his game-high 9 rebounds. Brown finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds.
Both teams will start 2019 by opening conference play.
George Mason will open Atlantic 10 play in Philadelphia against St. Joseph's on Thursday. Kansas State will host Big 12 foe Texas on Tuesday.
