George Mason ran into a three-point shooting buzz saw Monday night in Schollmaier Arena, falling to TCU 87-53 in the team’s non-conference finale.
Mason (11-2) battled with a TCU squad which hit a sizzling 14 three-pointers on 24 attempts (.583) and 57.9 percent of its shots overall (33-of-57). Both numbers marked season highs for a Patriot opponent this season.
To put Mason’s outstanding defensive start to the season in perspective, the team’s previous opponent highs were 10 for three-pointers made, 46.3 percent for overall field goal percentage and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
“We didn’t play well at all,” head coach Dave Paulsen said. “TCU hit big shots and difficult shots, but for the first time this year, we allowed missing our own shots to impact our defensive energy. That’s what I’m disappointed about.”
The Patriots struggled on the offensive end and finished with a 32.7 percent mark (18-55) from the floor. Mason made 5-of-19 three-point attempts (.263) on the night.
TCU also gained a big advantage on the glass (38-28 in rebounding) and held a +10 edge (19-9) in second chance points.
Sophomore Jordan Miller led Mason with 15 points, three rebounds and two steals, while freshman Xavier Johnson tallied 14 points (one off his season high) to go along with four assists and three rebounds.
Senior Justin Kier chipped in a team-high five assists in 26 minutes after returning from an ankle injury, while freshman Josh Oduro tallied seven points, a career-best eight rebounds and two steals in 17 minutes on the floor.
Mason returns home to open Atlantic 10 play Sunday (January 5) with a nationally-televised home contest against VCU. Tip-off in EagleBank Arena is set for 12 p.m.
The game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.
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Chris Graham
