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Peter Solari, Editor in Chief Follow @4PeteSakeNY
What a nail-biter!
The 5th seeded George Mason men's basketball team survived a scare in their Atlantic 10 tournament matchup with 12th seeded George Washington on Thursday afternoon, using a superb defensive effort to escape with a 61-57 win at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The Patriots now move on to Friday's quarterfinals, against 4th seeded St. Bonaventure.
The Colonials weren't too shabby on the defensive end themselves, using a 1-3-1 zone defense that gave Mason fits all afternoon, but when all was said and done, the Patriots were just a little bit better and limited GW to just 35% shooting on the day, and a paltry 29% in the second half. Mason also held a 41-32 advantage on the glass.
"I thought we really stepped up our defensive effort in the second half especially with the offensive adversity we faced," GMU coach Dave Paulsen said. "We went 10 deep and every guy who played gave us a key contribution."
Mason is now 3-0 against their Revolutionary Rivalry foe, and have advanced to A-10 quarterfinals for the third straight season.
Here's the recap from George Mason University Athletics:
Justin Kier, the league's Most Improved Player, once again led the way for the Patriots, turning in one the best games of his career. The junior out of Grottoes, VA dropped a game-high 26 points, and added 8 rebounds.
Senior Otis Livingston was the only other Patriot to score in double-figures. The Linden, NJ product kicked in 12 points, while freshman Jordan Miller grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Colonials were led by Armel Potter and Justin Mazzulla's 12 and 10 points, respectively. GW also had three players who tallied 9 points apiece, including Javier Langarica, who pulled down a game-high 12 boards. The Colonials finished the season with a 9-24 record.
The Patriots, on the other hand, live to fight another day, an outcome which was anything but certain down the stretch.
Aside from the hype of the A-10 tournament and a 2:30 PM tip-off in the middle of the week, Thursday's game very much resembled much of Mason's season to this point. There was streaky shooting, too many turnovers, missed opportunities from the charity stripe, and a ferocious defense that was enough to carry the Patriots to victory over a team that they definitely should have beat.
Now Mason can look ahead to Friday, where they'll attempt to advance past the A-10 quarterfinals for the first time since joining the league, when they face a far more polished opponent in the Bonnies of St. Bonaventure.
The wins have not come easy for George Mason against the elite teams in the A-10, and St. Bonaventure will likely enjoy a home-court advantage in Brooklyn, so Friday's quarterfinals will present quite the challenge for the Patriots. But you can rest easy, for at least one night, Mason Nation, because the Patriots' season will go on.
"This is survive and advance time," said coach Paulsen in his postgame remarks, borrowing a phrase coined by the late, great Jim Valvano. "We're excited to have survived and advanced to tomorrow."
It's not always pretty, but winning is winning, and if this one can propel Mason on a run through the A-10 tournament, who cares how ugly it is?
Tip-off for Friday's quarterfinal matchup between George Mason and St. Bonaventure is slated for 2:30 PM ET at Barclays Center. The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
#A10MBB #A10BKLYN #GMU #GoMason #MasonNation #BeAPatriot #GetPatriotic #TMMQB
What a nail-biter!
The 5th seeded George Mason men's basketball team survived a scare in their Atlantic 10 tournament matchup with 12th seeded George Washington on Thursday afternoon, using a superb defensive effort to escape with a 61-57 win at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The Patriots now move on to Friday's quarterfinals, against 4th seeded St. Bonaventure.
Fifth-seeded George Mason survived this afternoon’s revolutionary rivalry, but just barely... https://t.co/xuwoCY5S94— The Fanatic (@thefanaticnews) March 14, 2019
The Colonials weren't too shabby on the defensive end themselves, using a 1-3-1 zone defense that gave Mason fits all afternoon, but when all was said and done, the Patriots were just a little bit better and limited GW to just 35% shooting on the day, and a paltry 29% in the second half. Mason also held a 41-32 advantage on the glass.
"I thought we really stepped up our defensive effort in the second half especially with the offensive adversity we faced," GMU coach Dave Paulsen said. "We went 10 deep and every guy who played gave us a key contribution."
Mason is now 3-0 against their Revolutionary Rivalry foe, and have advanced to A-10 quarterfinals for the third straight season.
Here's the recap from George Mason University Athletics:
Mason led 31-24 with 2:20 left in the half, but GW rattled off the final seven points of the stanza to tie it up (31-31) at the break. The Patriots started the second half just 1-of-5 from the floor but remained locked in on the defensive end to keep it tied up at 35-35 four minutes into the period. GW moved back in front by three at 42-39, but Mason used a 5-0 spurt – capped by a Javon Greene 3-pointer – to go up 45-42 with 10:56 remaining. From there, Mason had a number of open shots over the next few minutes but could not convert them, as GW used a 10-2 spurt to go up 52-47 with just 6:22 to go in the game. At that point, Mason held the Colonials scoreless over the next two and a half minutes, while posting five points of their own to tie it at 52-52 with under four to go. GW went up 54-52, but Livingston II hit a critical to 3-pointer to give Mason the lead (55-54) with 2:54 to go. Then, Kier hit a difficult jumper to put the Patriots up three (57-54) with 1:29 left. Mason got it up to five (59-54) and GW could not move closer than four for the remainder of the game.
Justin Kier, the league's Most Improved Player, once again led the way for the Patriots, turning in one the best games of his career. The junior out of Grottoes, VA dropped a game-high 26 points, and added 8 rebounds.
Senior Otis Livingston was the only other Patriot to score in double-figures. The Linden, NJ product kicked in 12 points, while freshman Jordan Miller grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Colonials were led by Armel Potter and Justin Mazzulla's 12 and 10 points, respectively. GW also had three players who tallied 9 points apiece, including Javier Langarica, who pulled down a game-high 12 boards. The Colonials finished the season with a 9-24 record.
The Patriots, on the other hand, live to fight another day, an outcome which was anything but certain down the stretch.
Aside from the hype of the A-10 tournament and a 2:30 PM tip-off in the middle of the week, Thursday's game very much resembled much of Mason's season to this point. There was streaky shooting, too many turnovers, missed opportunities from the charity stripe, and a ferocious defense that was enough to carry the Patriots to victory over a team that they definitely should have beat.
Now Mason can look ahead to Friday, where they'll attempt to advance past the A-10 quarterfinals for the first time since joining the league, when they face a far more polished opponent in the Bonnies of St. Bonaventure.
Bonnies To Meet George Mason In A-10 Tournament Quarterfinals Friday Afternoon - St. Bonaventure https://t.co/A1QumtFzzW— St. Bonaventure U (@StBonaventure) March 14, 2019
The wins have not come easy for George Mason against the elite teams in the A-10, and St. Bonaventure will likely enjoy a home-court advantage in Brooklyn, so Friday's quarterfinals will present quite the challenge for the Patriots. But you can rest easy, for at least one night, Mason Nation, because the Patriots' season will go on.
"This is survive and advance time," said coach Paulsen in his postgame remarks, borrowing a phrase coined by the late, great Jim Valvano. "We're excited to have survived and advanced to tomorrow."
It's not always pretty, but winning is winning, and if this one can propel Mason on a run through the A-10 tournament, who cares how ugly it is?
Tip-off for Friday's quarterfinal matchup between George Mason and St. Bonaventure is slated for 2:30 PM ET at Barclays Center. The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
#A10MBB #A10BKLYN #GMU #GoMason #MasonNation #BeAPatriot #GetPatriotic #TMMQB
