(Mitchell Richtmyre / Fourth Estate)
The Mason alum becomes the fastest coach in program history to reach 50 victories, leading the Patriots past Catawba behind Jahari Long’s career night
BY RITHVIK HARI, STAFF WRITER
Coming off a close six-point victory against Winthrop, Mason’s men’s basketball improved their record to 3-0 as they defeated the Catawba Chiefs, 86-62 on Nov. 11.
Graduate guard Jahari Long led the team with a career-high 25 points, while junior guard Kory Mincy logged 19 of his own in another outstanding performance from the backcourt duo.
Mason led 38-31 at the end of the first half, but the Patriots struggled offensively, shooting 11-20 from the floor.
“I looked like a complete idiot out there because I couldn’t run any offense,” Mason Head Coach Tony Skinn said in his post-game interview.
Catawba’s pressure would come at a price, as the Chiefs picked up 24 fouls, including one declared flagrant. Catawba gained 24 points off of Mason’s 21 turnovers.
In his stellar performance, Long went 4-of-7 from the floor and made 16-of-17 free throw attempts and 25-of-31 in his last two games. His impressive 81% shooting accuracy has helped carry the Patriots to their third and fourth wins of the season. Long also logged three defensive rebounds, one block and one steal. The Maryland transfer missed all of last season due to an ACL injury.
“There’s still more to come and I’m making improvements every day,” Long said in his post-game interview.
(Mitchell Richtmyre / Fourth Estate)
“For three-fourths of that game, I’m not exactly sure how much freedom we had. It was a three-four possession game,” Skinn said. He added that the rest of Mason’s schedule will be more difficult and that each of the games ahead will present new challenges for the Patriots.
With Mason’s Brayden O’Connor (foot), Masai Troutman (ankle) and Fatt Hill (leg) all out with injuries, Skinn noted that certain players got more playing time than they usually would.
Skinn praised sophomore forward Stas Sivka for his performance off the bench. Sivka scored 11 points, making two threes and making all five of his free throw attempts.
“Part of my frustration is getting the buy-in of everyone,” Skinn said, referring to the 11 new players who joined the Patriots this season.
“Unfortunately, some bench time is right for a couple of these guys to understand what that expectation is,” Skinn added.
“It’s not an ideal outcome, the way we played,” he said. Catawba is a Division II school, a level below the Division I Patriots, and this game served as an exhibition game for them while it counted towards the Patriots overall record. Catawba’s defensive pressure forced the Patriots to adapt, making changes to their offensive strategy.
Skinn also made history, becoming the fastest coach in school history to reach the 50-win mark. The former Mason guard took just 71 career games to reach the mark.
“Yeah, I didn’t know they celebrated 50. Ask me that when I get to 100,” he said when asked about the accomplishment in the post-game interview.
The Patriots continue their homestand on Saturday, Nov. 15, against the New Hampshire Wildcats at 2 p.m. Free tickets are available for students on Mason360 and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.