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| [ PHOTO: THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER ] |
Peter Solari, Editor in Chief Follow @4PeteSakeNY
The George Mason men's basketball team opened the new year, and their conference schedule, with an 85-60 rout of St. Joseph's at Hagan Arena in Philadelphia Thursday night.
George Mason blows out Saint Joseph’s in Atlantic 10 opener https://t.co/UHQ2ULejM3
— BIG SHOTS (@BigShotsNation) January 4, 2019
The Patriots turned in their most complete game of the season, including shooting 54% from beyond the arc, and shutting down the Hawks defensively in the second half, to cruise to their most impressive win of the season. Here's more from George Mason University Athletics:
Aside from making 15-of-28 3-pointers on the game, Mason was impressive defensively, holding St. Joe's to 25% shooting on 6-24 in the second half.
"That was a phenomenal team effort. I'm really proud of our guys," head coach Dave Paulsen said. "They struggled shooting the ball in the first half, but we emphasized to keep pounding the rock and to keep fighting and defending. Our defense was great all game and it was fun to see the ball finally go in. This team has worked so hard both in practice and outside of practice and it's so nice to see it pay off."
Not too shabby!
Justin Kier led the way for Mason with 18 points and pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds, as well, both game highs.
Otis Livingston added 17 points to go along with his game-high seven assists, while Ian Boyd and Goanar Mar chipped in 15 and 13 points, respectively. The win was Mason's third straight at Hagan Arena.
Charlie Brown and Lamarr Kimble each scored 17 points to lead the Hawks.
Of course it's only one win, but after a slow start, the Patriots have shown glimpses of why they had such high expectations placed on them in the first place. And with the fate of their season riding on how they perform in the A-10, Mason's resurgence couldn't have come at a better time.
Up next, the Patriots will return to Fairfax, where they will host St. Bonaventure on Sunday at 4 PM ET. That game will be televised on NBC Sports Network.
The Patriots rocketed out of the gate, hitting five of their first seven 3-pointers to build a 17-14 advantage before the first media timeout. Mason extended the lead to six (27-21) on a 3-pointer from Jamal Hartwell II at the 9:06 mark of the first half, but the Hawks moved back within one at 28-27 with 6:23 to go in the period. Saint Joseph's took the lead at 32-31, but Mason evened the score up at halftime, 34-34. Mason shot just 24 percent (5-21) from 2-point territory in the opening stanza, but made 7-of-16 3-pointers (.438) to keep the score tied at the break. After an 0-for-12 stretch from the floor, Mason hit two straight field goals to go back up five (42-37), but the Hawks rallied back with a 9-2 spurt to take a 46-44 edge at the 14:38 mark of the second half. From there, Mr. SportsCenter Ian Boyd took over. He hit a 3-pointer to put Mason back up four (51-47), then drilled another 3-pointer and was fouled. That 7-point stretch helped give the Patriots a 55-50 lead at the 11:34 mark, and it would keep growing. With Mason up 57-54 at the 10:16 mark, the Patriots made that critical 19-0 run, including six points from Livingston II and five from Mar, to go up 76-54 with 4:02 remaining. The Patriots took their largest lead (85-58) with 1:18 to go in the contest.
Aside from making 15-of-28 3-pointers on the game, Mason was impressive defensively, holding St. Joe's to 25% shooting on 6-24 in the second half.
"That was a phenomenal team effort. I'm really proud of our guys," head coach Dave Paulsen said. "They struggled shooting the ball in the first half, but we emphasized to keep pounding the rock and to keep fighting and defending. Our defense was great all game and it was fun to see the ball finally go in. This team has worked so hard both in practice and outside of practice and it's so nice to see it pay off."
George Mason finishes the last 12:20 of a road game against St. Joe's on a 37-13 run to win by 25 😳— BracketForecast (@BracketForecast) January 4, 2019
Not too shabby!
Justin Kier led the way for Mason with 18 points and pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds, as well, both game highs.
Otis Livingston added 17 points to go along with his game-high seven assists, while Ian Boyd and Goanar Mar chipped in 15 and 13 points, respectively. The win was Mason's third straight at Hagan Arena.
Charlie Brown and Lamarr Kimble each scored 17 points to lead the Hawks.
Of course it's only one win, but after a slow start, the Patriots have shown glimpses of why they had such high expectations placed on them in the first place. And with the fate of their season riding on how they perform in the A-10, Mason's resurgence couldn't have come at a better time.
Up next, the Patriots will return to Fairfax, where they will host St. Bonaventure on Sunday at 4 PM ET. That game will be televised on NBC Sports Network.
