– stock.adobe.com)
George Mason led from start to finish in a dominant 90-67 win over rival George Washington Tuesday night inside EagleBank Arena.
The Patriots (17-8, 6-6 A-10) scored a season-best 54 points in the first half and built a 27-point edge at the break. Mason led by as many as 39 (78-39) midway through the second stanza and shot 56.7 percent from the floor (34-60), despite missing All-A-10 candidate Darius Maddox due to injury.
Five players scored in double figures for the Green & Gold, who improved to 12-2 in Fairfax this season.
“This was a much-needed win on our home floor to get our swag back,” Mason coach Tony Skinn (’06) said. “Different guys stepped up to the plate. We came out with the first punch tonight the same way GW did in the game in DC. I’m glad we were able to return the favor and get back to .500 in league play.”
Sophomore forward Keyshawn Hall led the Patriots with his A-10-leading ninth double-double of the season. Hall notched a game-high 20 points (7-of-11 FG) to go along with 12 rebounds, two assists and a season-best two blocks. It marked his fourth 20+ point effort in the past five games.
Graduate forward Amari Kelly added 16 points (5-of-9 FG), seven rebounds and two assists, while senior Woody Newton tied his career best with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
Freshman Austin Ball continued his strong play of late with a personal best 10 points (4-of-7 FG) and junior Jared Billups added 10 points (4-6 FG) and seven rebounds.
The Patriots held a sizable +12 (42-30) advantage on the glass and dished out 14 assists to GW’s seven.
Mason scored the first nine points of the game and took complete control early on, building a 29-8 lead at the 10:43 mark of the first half.
GW (14-10, 3-8 A-10) would not get closer than 18 for the remainder of the game.
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Chris Graham
