– stock.adobe.com)
George Mason lost its third straight, falling 75-62 at George Washington on Monday afternoon inside the Smith Center.
The Patriots (13-5, 2-3 A-10) missed 23 of their first 28 shots and fell behind by 18 (31-13) late in the first half.
Mason was able to cut it to five (42-37) early in the second half, but that’s as close as the Patriots would get for the remainder of the game.
“It was a disappointing loss,” George Mason coach Tony Skinn said. “We have to figure out some things with these slow starts in the first half. It’s something that’s become consistent, and I’ll figure it out. That’s my job. We came out better in the second half but had some things that didn’t go our way. We have a day off tomorrow and we have a chance to regroup.”
Sophomore Keyshawn Hall led the Patriots with 19 points (7-of-17 FG), nine rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes of work.
Graduate forward Amari Kelly added 14 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Virginia Tech transfer Darius Maddox notched 11 points.
Senior Ronald Polite III dished out a team-high four assists.