George Mason nearly pulled off a second-half comeback but couldn’t quite get over the hump during a 77-74 setback to Washington Monday night inside the Sanford Pentagon.
Mason (4-2) trailed 31-23 at the half, but tied it up midway through the second half (50-50) and trailed by just one (71-70) with 42 seconds left. But Washington grabbed a key offensive rebound in that final minute and made a series of important free throws to secure the victory.
“This was a tough one for us. Washington is a program we have much respect for,” head coach Kim English said. “They played great. They finally got going from 3 and we didn’t play our best defense in the first half by a long stretch. As the game went on, our guys settled in and I thought we played better. But they deserve all the credit – great job by the Huskies.”
The turnover bug once again bit the Patriots Monday, as 14 miscues turned into a +9 (18-9) edge for the Huskies in points off turnovers. The Green & Gold also dug themselves a hole with a first half in which the team shot 27.6 percent (8-29) from the floor.
Junior Josh Oduro paced the Patriots with 21 points (6-11 FG, 9-12 FT) to go along with nine rebounds in a season-best 34 minutes, while graduate student DeVon Cooper scored 18 of his season-best 21 points in the second half, including a 4-of-5 mark from 3-point range in that second stanza.
Junior Davonte Gaines recorded his third-straight double-double, notching 13 points (3-6 FG, 6-6 FT) and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes on the floor. Senior Jamal Hartwell II added 10 points and a team-best four assists.
The Huskies held a 36-26 edge in points in the paint for the game and shot 59.4 percent (19-31) from 2-point range in the contest.
Mason took an 8-6 advantage on a Gaines 3-pointer and lead 12-8 after free throws from Oduro at the 13:47 mark of the opening stanza. The Patriots were up 14-11, but at that point, the Huskies ripped off a 9-2 spurt to take a 20-16 advantage. Mason tied it up at 20-20, but another Washington spurt, this time 9-0, extended the edge to 29-20. The Huskies took a 31-23 advantage into halftime.
Mason mustered just one field goal in the final seven minutes of the first half and shot 27.6 percent overall in the half.
Back-to-back triples from Cooper and Hartwell II quickly moved the Patriots back within two (31-29) to open the second half. Mason tied it up 36-36 and a second-chance lay-in from Blake Jones moved the score to 40-40 at the 13:23 mark of the half.
Washington moved back in front by four at 46-42. The Patriots cut it to two (62-60) with 4:47 left, but a 6-0 spurt by the Huskies moved the lead to eight (68-60) with 3:29 left.
Five-straight points from the Patriots – highlighted by a pull-up Cooper 3-pointer – moved Mason back within one (71-70) with 42 secodns to go.
Washington’s Terry Brown Jr. missed a shot on the ensuing possession, but the Huskies grabbed the offensive rebound and converted their free throws. The Patriots could not move closer than one for the remainder of the contest.
Next up, Mason plays the second of two games in the Crossover Classic. The Patriots will take on Nevada on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT in the Sanford Pentagon. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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