Kory Mincy scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half, Fatt Hill had 8 of his 14 in the last five minutes, and the George Mason men’s basketball team shut down Davidson defensively en route to a 60-52 win.
After a tough loss at Rhode Island last Saturday, the George Mason Patriots returned to the friendly confines of EagleBank Arena on Wednesday looking to get back to their winning ways. Despite the avalanche of snow that engulfed the Mid-Atlantic region over the weekend, the Fairfax crowd was in full force, and Mason needed it without the services of starting big man Riley Allenspach.
The Patriots gave up the first five points, but then went on an 11-0 run and led by double digits early. Without Allenspach, Nick Ellington got the start at center, while Emmanuel Kanga made a difference with his energy off the bench. Mason held a 27-19 advantage late in the half, but Davidson ramped up the physicality and closed the period on a 15-1 run to lead by six at the break.
Slow starts out of the intermission have been an issue for Mason recently, but not this time. The Patriots scored the first 10 points of the second half, and after Davidson tied it at 43, Mincy hit back-to-back threes to give the home team the lead for good. A scoring drought for both teams spanned between the 9:35 and 4:51 minute marks of the frame with the teams separated by four points, before Hill ended it with an emphatic steal and slam.
Free throws were an issue for Mason, who shot 13-of-22 from the line, but Hill effortlessly knocked down all four of his in the final minute to seal the win. The Patriots improve to 19-2 overall and 7-1 in Atlantic 10 play.
“This was a phenomenal collective effort by this group,” head coach Tony Skinn said postgame. “I thought this was our best defensive effort… it’s very, very hard to guard a team like Davidson.”
Hill’s emergence into one of Mason’s top closers has become an underrated storyline in recent weeks. He’s been a go-to guy late in several games, especially at the foul line, and on Wednesday, he made the biggest play of the night.
“Fatt’s got a great spirit,” Skinn said of his trusted sixth man. “Whether he starts the game or not, he’s going to play 30 minutes and I think he understands that. He’s helped us finish these games.”
Jahari Long chipped in with 10 points for the Patriots, while Ellington had eight and a team-high seven rebounds. In the win, the Murray State transfer reached 1,000 career points over the course of his four college seasons.
Next up, Mason will head back on the road to visit St. Bonaventure on Saturday. After that, it’s back-to-back home games against Duquesne and St. Joseph’s.