Ten days ago, the George Mason University men’s basketball team put on a defensive clinic against Davidson late in the second half, holding the Wildcats to nine points in the final 10 minutes. On Saturday, they managed to outdo themselves in front of a massive crowd in EagleBank Arena.
It’s always after a loss that you find out who a team really is. Following a tough setback to Duquesne on Wednesday night, the George Mason Patriots welcomed a streaking St. Joseph’s team to town that had won seven of their past eight games. It could have easily been grounds for a morale-killing defeat with back-to-back road games ahead. Instead, Tony Skinn‘s boys got back to their identity to improve to 21-3 (9-2) on the year.
It was Homecoming Day for the Patriots, and the Fairfax crowd was on its feet as Mason got off to a quick 5-0 start. But, like most GMU games this season, it was a back-and-forth dogfight with both teams trading blows. St. Joe’s came out firing from deep and killing Mason on the glass, racking up 13 offensive rebounds in the first half as the teams went into the break knotted up at 29.
The first half was played St. Joe’s’ way, but after the Hawks went ahead 43-37 early in the second, the rest of the contest played out on Mason’s terms. Patriot Pressure showed up in full force, and the home team used a 13-3 run to take a four-point lead. Two separate scoring droughts of 4:38 and 5:11 ensued for St. Joe’s, and GMU closed on a 6-0 run to win by eight, holding the opposition to six points in the final 10 minutes.
Jahari Long was the star, scoring 20 points in a game where he had to take over because Mason’s leading scorer Kory Mincy is still battling through a wrist injury he suffered against Duquesne. The Patriots’ depth stepped up in a big way, notably in the form of Dola Adebayo, who had seen his minutes steadily decline throughout the year. The Mount St. Mary’s transfer recorded eight points, four rebounds and a steal, and sunk two critical free throws late.
“Games like this are a big reason why I’m blessed to be a Mason alum,” Skinn said postgame, making it a point to mention how the crowd gave the Patriots life. He shouted out Adebayo and freshman Devin Booker for changing the game with their energy.
Skinn also credited the resilience of his squad in the way they responded to the Duquesne loss. “I’m glad they put it behind them,” he said. “Sometimes when you haven’t lost at home in conference play in two years, you get accustomed to that and think it’s normal. It’s not normal.”
Riley Allenspach joined Long in double figures with 13 points. Stas Sivka earned his first career nod in the starting lineup, replacing Malik Presley, but played only 11 minutes.
Next up, Mason will hit the road to take on Richmond on Tuesday.