George Mason began a new era of its program history with a 74-52 victory over preseason America East favorite Stony Brook Tuesday night inside EagleBank Arena.
The Patriots took control of the contest midway through the first half, then used a blitzing 21-7 run midway through the second half to put the game out of reach for the visiting Seawolves.
In all, Mason led for 39 of 40 minutes en route to the first career win for new head coach Kim English.
“This was a great win for us. I was super proud of our guys,” English said. “We had really efficient numbers across the board. We made the schedule with the intent to play good teams and Stony Brook is going to get a lot better as the season continues.”
Mason has preached defense throughout the preseason and that emphasis was on display Tuesday. The Patriots limited Stony Brook to just 34.4 percent shooting for the contest and a paltry 6-of-28 (.214) from the 3-point arc. What’s more, Mason limited the Seawolves to 0 first-half assists and just two for the game.
Four Patriots tallied double figures in the win, led by Preseason All-A-10 Third Team pick Josh Oduro, who poured in 16 points and put on a post clinic while converting 8-of-12 shots and grabbing five rebounds.
Graduate student DeVon Cooper added 14 points (6-9 FG), six rebounds and three assists in a strong all-around debut for the Louisville product. Graduate transfer D’Shawn Schwartz added 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, while junior Xavier Johnson notched 11 points (5-9 FG) and notched four steals in 28 minutes.
Junior Davonte Gaines also made his Mason debut Tuesday night and registered nine points, a career-high nine rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes.
The Patriots shot an efficient 52.5 percent (32-61) on the night and held a sizable 44-24 edge in points of the paint for the contest.
Mason returns to EagleBank Arena Friday night for a 7 p.m. contest vs. Penn. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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