George Mason (8-8, 4-6) dropped a 74-65 contest to the host Dayton Flyers (11-5, 7-4) on Friday night in UD Arena.
Mason trailed by seven with under two minutes to play and had a chance to cut it to four, but could not make a couple key baskets down the stretch as the Flyers held on for the win. A game after Dayton made just 8-of-35 (.229) 3-pointers at Duquesne, the Flyers rebounded at home to make 12 3-pointers on 23 attempts (.522).
Mason shot 45 percent in the first half and trailed by just four (36-32) at the break, but the Patriots struggled in the second half (11-38, .289) while the Flyers increased their lead.
Mason held advantages in points off turnovers (15-8) and second chance points (15-5), but Dayton’s 12 3s created the difference in the final margin.
Four Patriots scored in double figures, led by Jordan Miller, who tallied 16 points in 30 minutes. Javon Greene added 14 points and continued his strong 3-point shooting in A-10 play with four triples on eight attempts (.500). The senior also grabbed seven rebounds.
Freshman Tyler Kolek made a trio of 3-pointers, dished out three assists and finished with 13 points, while sophomore Josh Oduro notched 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Flyers made seven 3-pointers in the first half and led from the start, jumping out to a 28-19 advantage. Mason cut it to three (31-28) on a Jordan Miller drive and finish and trailed by four (36-32) at the half.
Three more triples from the Flyers moved the lead back to 11 (51-40) and Dayton surged ahead by 17 (63-46) with 7:24 to play.
Mason came roaring back and cut it to seven (67-60) on a triple from Kolek with 1:34 left. Mason forced a turnover on the next possession and had a chance to cut it to four or five but could not convert. From there, Dayton hung on to win by nine.
Mason returns to EagleBank Arena for the first time since January 20 when the Patriots take on Fordham on Wednesday (Feb.10). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside EagleBank Arena. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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