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| [ PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON POST ] |
Peter Solari, Editor in Chief Follow @4PeteSakeNY
The George Mason Patriots men's basketball team is off to a 2-0 start in the Atlantic 10, after coasting to a 68-53 over Saint Bonaventure at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA Sunday afternoon.
The Patriots found themselves in a dog-fight early, trailing by as many as 8 points in the first half, However, using a strong defensive effort, Mason was able to claw their way back in, and thanks to an Ian Boyd 3-pointer at the buzzer, held a 28-25 edge at the break.
Once again, the second half was a different story. More from George Mason University Athletics:
The Patriots outscored the Bonnies 24-8 over the final 10 minutes of the second half, and with the win, climbed over .500 for the first time this season, with an 8-7 record. Overall, Mason has won six of their last eight games. Most importantly, the Patriots have won their first two A-10 contests.
“It feels good to start off 2-0," said senior guard Otis Livingston. “We’re just going to stick to what is working for us.”
Junior Justin Kier recorded his fourth double-double in five contests, dropping 15 points and pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds to lead the way for Mason. Livingston chipped in 14 points to go along with Boyd's 9 points, and sophomore Greg Calixte grabbed 9 boards for the Patriots.
"In a lot of ways, this is a more gratifying win than our one Thursday night versus Saint Joe's," coach Dave Paulsen said. "We were out of sync to begin the game but our guys showed a lot of grit, toughness and defended. That's what we've been preaching and we've made great strides in that area."
Kyle Lofton led Saint Bonaventure with a game-high 17 points and teammate Courtney Stockard added 16 points of his own. George Mason held a 23-11 edge in bench scoring. The loss drops the Bonnies' to 4-10 on the season.
The Patriots will return to action this Wednesday, January 9th, when they host A-10 powerhouse Davidson at EagleBank Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM ET on ESPN+
Davidson was picked by many, including "bracketologist" Andy Katz, to finish atop of the A-10, so Wednesday's game is arguably Mason's toughest test of the season thus far, and could provide a lot of insight into just how good this team can be.
The George Mason Patriots men's basketball team is off to a 2-0 start in the Atlantic 10, after coasting to a 68-53 over Saint Bonaventure at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA Sunday afternoon.
Mason Wins!! St. Bonaventure vs. George Mason - Game Summary - January 6, 2019 - ESPN - via @ESPN App https://t.co/qUc7VCfWJg— Michael W. Nickens (@DocNix12) January 7, 2019
The Patriots found themselves in a dog-fight early, trailing by as many as 8 points in the first half, However, using a strong defensive effort, Mason was able to claw their way back in, and thanks to an Ian Boyd 3-pointer at the buzzer, held a 28-25 edge at the break.
The #Bonnies jumped ahead of George Mason early on Sunday, making their first four shots to take a 9-2 lead less than three minutes into the contest. That early burst was wiped out by 35 percent shooting the rest of the half: https://t.co/A6VI3MNqc7— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 7, 2019
Once again, the second half was a different story. More from George Mason University Athletics:
Mason scored seven of the first nine points of the second half to extend the edge to eight (35-27). The Patriots lifted that lead to 10 (40-30) at the 15:09 mark, but the Bonnies quickly responded with an 8-0 spurt over the next two minutes to move back within two (40-38). SBU surged in front by one (45-44), but Mason answered with that critical 14-0 sequence. The run began with back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers from Jamal Hartwell II, Livingston II and Boyd. That came on the heels of three straight defensive stops, or what the Mason coaching staff calls a "lock." From there, Calixte converted a lay-in and Boyd completed the old-fashioned 3-point play to put the Patriots up 56-44 with 5:34 to go. Back-to-back 3-pointers by SBU's Nelson Kaputo and Kyle Lofton moved the Bonnies back within six (56-50) at the 4:20 mark, but that's as close as the visitors would get, as the Patriots put the game out of reach with a 10-0 run. That included a 3-pointer from Boyd, five points from Kier, and a 3-pointer from Livingston II to give Mason a 66-50 edge with 51 seconds to play.
The Patriots outscored the Bonnies 24-8 over the final 10 minutes of the second half, and with the win, climbed over .500 for the first time this season, with an 8-7 record. Overall, Mason has won six of their last eight games. Most importantly, the Patriots have won their first two A-10 contests.
“It feels good to start off 2-0," said senior guard Otis Livingston. “We’re just going to stick to what is working for us.”
18. George Mason is off to its first 2-0 start in conference play since joining the Atlantic 10. Patriots shot 6/9 from 3-point range in the second half of a 68-53 defeat of St. Bonaventure and held the Bonnies to 0.83 points per possession.— Patrick Stevens (@D1scourse) January 7, 2019
Trust me at the top it isn’t lonely😈 pic.twitter.com/G0L3drqsfP— UNDEFEATED Barstool George Mason (@BarstoolGMason) January 6, 2019
Junior Justin Kier recorded his fourth double-double in five contests, dropping 15 points and pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds to lead the way for Mason. Livingston chipped in 14 points to go along with Boyd's 9 points, and sophomore Greg Calixte grabbed 9 boards for the Patriots.
"In a lot of ways, this is a more gratifying win than our one Thursday night versus Saint Joe's," coach Dave Paulsen said. "We were out of sync to begin the game but our guys showed a lot of grit, toughness and defended. That's what we've been preaching and we've made great strides in that area."
...familiar faces when it comes to that, even if just on the George Mason MBB bench. Justin Kier was his usual elite backcourt rebounder self today as he pulled down 14 rebounds, which was 3 more rebounds than the entire starting lineup of St. Bonaventure recorded in the contest.— Matt Trabold (@TrabsMatt) January 7, 2019
Kyle Lofton led Saint Bonaventure with a game-high 17 points and teammate Courtney Stockard added 16 points of his own. George Mason held a 23-11 edge in bench scoring. The loss drops the Bonnies' to 4-10 on the season.
The Patriots will return to action this Wednesday, January 9th, when they host A-10 powerhouse Davidson at EagleBank Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM ET on ESPN+
George Mason has won 6 of 8 and looks like the preseason top 4 team they were expected to be— 3 Bid League (@3BidLeaguePod) January 6, 2019
Playing Davidson on Wednesday will be a perfect measuring stick to see whether this momentum is real
Davidson was picked by many, including "bracketologist" Andy Katz, to finish atop of the A-10, so Wednesday's game is arguably Mason's toughest test of the season thus far, and could provide a lot of insight into just how good this team can be.
