Mason (3-0) won a slugfest that featured six ties and 17 lead changes with a late 16-7 run that provided the working margin down the stretch.
“This what we expected,” head coach Tony Skinn (’06) said. “Cornell did what they do, and credit to their team for their execution. We knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, but we responded in the second half, and I’m just glad that we’re in here 3-0.”
Keyshawn Hall had 29 points and 12 rebounds for the Patriots, shooting 11-of-18 from the field and 3-of-6 from three.
Amari Kelly added his third 10+ point effort in as many games this season, tallying 17 points (8-of-11 FG), seven rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes of work.
Freshman point guard Baraka Okojie notched a career-best 11 points and made 7-of-8 free throw attempts, while senior guard Ronald Polite III chipped in 10 points (2-of-3 3pt FG) and two assists.
Cornell (3-1) was 14-of-29 from three, but Mason countered with a 44-28 advantage in the paint and a 20-10 advantage in second-chance points.
The Patriots led 43-42 at the break, and led by eight with 9:51 left, but Cornell fought back to within one, at 74-73, on the second of back-to-back threes with 4:19 to go.
At that point, Mason buckled down and used that 16-7 run to close it out. That stretch included a huge three-pointer from Virginia Tech transfer Darius Maddox as the shot clock ran down and a monster dunk from Malik Henry with under a minute to play.
Mason now heads to Florida for two games in the Jacksonville Classic. The Patriots open the event on Sunday vs. Charlotte. Tip-off in St. Augustine between the Patriots and 49ers is set for 5:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on PassDaBallLive.com.
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Chris Graham
