– stock.adobe.com)
George Mason is 13-2 for just the second time in the 57-year history of the program after pushing past Saint Louis by the score of 79-67 on Saturday afternoon inside EagleBank Arena.
Mason (13-2, 2-0 A-10) led for 37 of a possible 40 minutes and committed a season-low five turnovers in the victory. The Patriots forced 16 Billiken miscues and held a +11 (21-10) edge in points off turnovers for the game.
George Mason is now 9-0 at home and has won 23 of its past 25 games inside EagleBank Arena.
“The message to these guys was that no one is surprised by George Mason right now,” first-year George Mason coach Tony Skinn (’06) said. “You’re going to get the best version of every single team in this league. These guys bought into that. Practice was phenomenal yesterday and we brought that same energy tonight.”
The Patriots led by nine at the break (39-30) and used a sizable 32-15 run midway through the second half to build a 71-48 advantage with 6:16 to play.
Sophomore forward Keyshawn Hall led the Green & Gold with a team-high 22 points (6-of-12 FG, 8-of-8 FT) to go along with eight rebounds in the win.
Senior point guard Ronald Polite III added 19 points (5-of-10 FG, 6-of-6 FT), three assists and three rebounds, while graduate forward Amari Kelly chipped in 13 points (4-of-8 FG).
Virginia Tech transfer Darius Maddox notched 11 points (2-of-5 3FG) in 35 minutes.