George Mason put together a solid defensive effort to claim a 60-50 victory over Johns Hopkins Thursday night inside EagleBank Arena.
The Blue Jays – ranked No. 15 in Division III – were within six to 10 points for much of the game, getting as close as three (36-33) with 11 minutes to play. But the Patriots locked down on defense to close the game out, using a 9-2 run to get the lead back up to 10 (45-35) with 7:38 to go.
Mason built its largest lead of the game (53-40) with 5:37 to go and Hopkins could not move closer than nine for the remainder of the game.
The Patriots limited the Blue Jays to just 29.5 percent shooting, including a 4-of-24 (.167) mark in the opening half. Hopkins also made just 4-of-32 3-pointers (.125) and committed 16 turnovers.
Junior Justin Kier led the Green & Gold with a game-high 18 points (7-11 FG) and chipped in five rebounds and four steals in 32 minutes.
Senior Otis Livingston II added 13 points while redshirt-junior and Virginia transfer Jarred Reuter tallied a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in his first game in a Mason uniform.
The Patriots won despite a tough shooting night (.377, 20-53). The Green & Gold made just 1-of-17 3-pointers (.059) for the contest.
Mason was +9 (48-37) on the glass against Hopkins and held a 15-5 edge in second chance points for the game.
Mason opens the 2018-19 regular season inside EagleBank Arena on Tuesday (Nov. 6). The Patriots will take on 2018 Ivy League champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier Penn. Tip-off between the Patriots and Quakers is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+.
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Chris Graham
