Fourth Estate/Mitchell Richtmyre
The Patriots dominated the Revolutionaries from start to finish
BY GABRIEL KING, SPORTS EDITOR
Mason men’s basketball defeated George Washington 90-67 on Tuesday night to split the season series. The Patriots (17-8, 6-6 Atlantic 10) never trailed in the game as they sent the Revolutionaries (14-10, 3-8) to a seventh straight defeat.
Mason started the game on a 14-2 run, which included a 3-5 start from 3-point range. The Patriots ended the first half with a 54-27 lead, marking their most points in a first half this season. Despite George Washington outscoring Mason in the second half, the Patriots cruised to a dominant win, as they scored at least 90 points for the fourth time this season.
“This was a much-needed win on our home floor,” Head Coach Tony Skinn said. Following its three-game losing streak, Mason has won consecutive games to get back to .500 in conference play. The Patriots were led by 20 points and 12 rebounds from Keyshawn Hall, 16 points from Amari Kelly and a season-high 13 points from Woody Newton.
Darius Maddox, the Patriots’ second-leading scorer, missed his second straight game with an ankle injury. In his absence, freshman Austin Ball played extended minutes and scored a career-high ten points. “With Darius out, someone’s got to step up. And I thought that was my time to show up and play some big minutes,” Ball said.
Along with a strong offensive performance, Mason was able to grow its lead by playing stifling defense. The Patriots held the Revolutionaries to 30.6% shooting in the first half and 40% in the game. This included holding GW’s James Bishop IV, the A-10’s fourth-leading scorer, to 10 points on 4-15 shooting.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for James Bishop… Our defense in the first half really set the tone and made him uncomfortable,” Skinn said. The Revolutionaries were also without Darren Buchannan Jr., their second-leading scorer, which made Bishop’s struggles even more difficult to overcome.
“[When Bishop struggles] we lose. That’s one thing that happens. We lose,” GW Head Coach Chris Caputo said. “We were bad, obviously. They returned the favor… We played very well at home against George Mason.”
Avenging the 75-62 January loss to the Revolutionaries was on the Patriots’ minds heading into the game. “It was really revenge. We wanted this one bad, so we went and got it,” Ball said. The 23-point victory is Mason’s largest win ever against GW.
With the win, the Patriots maintained their seventh place position in the A-10 standings. Mason remains three games out of a top-four spot. The Revolutionaries’ freefall in the standings continues, as they sit at 13th following their seventh consecutive loss.
The Patriots have a week off before returning to action against nationally-ranked Dayton on Feb. 21. Despite the tough test ahead, Mason’s mindset remains the same. “With all due respect, we’re going to do what we do. We’re not going to change anything because we’re playing Dayton,” Skinn said.