The George Mason men’s basketball team topped off Homecoming 2015 with an overtime victory over Richmond Saturday in the Patriot Center, defeating the Spiders 71-67. Five different Patriots scored in double-figures in the victory.
Marquise Moore scored eight of Mason’s nine points in overtime as the Patriots outscored the Spiders 9-5 in the overtime period. It was a back-and-forth battle in the early going of the extra period as the teams traded the lead until Josh Jones hit a trey for Richmond to set a 67-66 UR advantage with 2:16 left. A layup from Moore followed by a free throw from the sophomore put the Patriots up by two with 26 seconds to play.
On the next possession, Mason forced a Richmond turnover as Moore drew a foul and hit the front end for a 70-67 Mason lead with 13 seconds to play. Richmond’s Kendall Anthony looked for the tie, but the three-pointer was off the mark as Isaiah Jackson collected the rebound and drew the foul. The freshman closed the game hitting one free throw for the final 71-67 Mason victory.
Jalen Jenkins and Shevon Thompson each scored 15 points for the Patriots. Patrick Holloway added 13 points to the scoreboard, while Moore and Jackson each added 11. Thompson collected his 13th double-double of the season with a game-high 14 rebounds, leading Mason to a 38-29 rebounding edge. Mason shot 71.9 percent from the charity stripe (23-32) led by Jenkins’ 7-of-8 effort. The Spiders were limited to just 11 trips to the free throw line in the 45 minutes.
T.J. Cline led Richmond with 18 points as the teams stood tied at the halftime break. The first 20 minutes witnessed seven lead changes and four tied scores including the halftime standstill. Richmond’s leading scorer, Anthony, was held scoreless in the first period.
Mason trailed by three, 58-55, with 4:21 to go in the second half before Jenkins tied the score for the eighth time. Both teams saw several opportunities, but it would come to the free throw line where Mason took a 61-58 lead with 16 seconds to play in regulation. Anthony cut the score to one point with two free throws as Moore hit the back end of a pair for a 62-60 Mason advantage with eight seconds left. On the final play, Anthony drew a foul on his layup attempt and converted both free throws to force overtime.
Richmond hit 10 three-pointers in the game paced by Josh Jones’ four. Jones finished with 12 points as Anthony and ShawnDre’ Jones each added 10 points. UR converted 16 Mason turnovers into 20 points.
Mason continues this three-game homestand on Wednesday welcoming Fordham at 7 p.m.
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Chris Graham
