George Mason leads early, but falls at #7 Maryland, 86-63

George Mason put together a strong defensive effort against one of the nation’s top-10 teams but could not match that success on the offensive end during an 86-63 setback to #7 Maryland Friday night at the XFINITY Center.

Mason (5-1) led by five with under seven minutes to play in the first half, but the Terrapins broke the game open with a 19-2 spurt to close the opening stanza.

The Patriots held the Terrapins to just 40.3 percent (25-62) from the floor and 27.3 percent (6-22) from 3-point range, but were limited to 35.7 percent (20-56) on the offensive end.

Redshirt-junior AJ Wilson – who hails from nearby Laurel, Md. – led the Patriots with a career-best 19 points (6-12 FG) and added six rebounds in his return to Prince George’s County. Sophomore Jamal Hartwell II added 13 points and three assists, while junior Javon Greene added 11 points and team highs in rebounds (7) and assists (4).

The Patriots held a 10-5 edge in fast break points for the game, but were -12 (30-18) in points in the paint as Maryland used its strong interior presence to take control of the contest.

Naismith Award candidate Anthony Cowan led the Terps with 16 points, while fellow National Player of the Year Award nominee Jalen Smith added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Maryland (5-0).

Maryland scored six of the first eight points, but Mason hit its first four shots and used a 7-0 run to build an early 9-6 advantage. Maryland tied it up at 13-13, but the Patriots again put together a 7-0 spurt – including a 3-pointer from Greene – to go up 20-13 at the 9:29 mark. Mason led 29-24 on a 3-pointer from Greene at 6:27, but Mason would convert only one more field goal the remainder of the half. The Terrapins closed the stanza on a 19-2 run to take a 43-31 lead into the break.

Mason cut it to 43-35 just a couple minutes into the second half and trailed 51-42 after free throws from Wilson at the 12:35 mark. At that point, the Terrapins utilized a 8-0 spurt to extend the edge to 17 (59-42) and held a 61-44 advantage with 9:39 to go. Mason cut it to 63-49, but that’s as close as the Patriots would get, as the Terrapins moved ahead by 20 late in the second stanza.

Mason begins play in the Cayman Islands Classic Monday on Grand Cayman. The Patriots will battle former conference rival Old Dominion at 5 p.m. The Patriots also will compete Tuesday and Wednesday against opponents TBD. The tournament will be broadcast on FloHoops.com ($).