– stock.adobe.com)
George Mason took the lead for good on a Brayden O’Connor bucket with 1:18 to go, then got a couple of stops on defense to complete the 58-57 win over Saint Joseph’s, to maintain the lead in the A-10 ahead of next week’s showdown with second-place VCU.
Mason (21-5, 12-1 A-10, NET: 64) trailed by as many as 16, and notched the win with a maniacal effort on D, holding the Hawks (15-10, 6-6 A-10) to 20 points in the second half.
The win is the 11th in a row for the Patriots, who get a mid-week bye before the road trip to Richmond to face VCU (20-5, 10-2 A-10, NET: 36).
That game is set for a 4 p.m. ET tip (CBS Sports Network).
The Rams have a mid-week game with UMass (11-15, 6-7 A-10) on Wednesday at the Siegel Center.
On Saturday in Fairfax, Mason needed to clamp down on the defensive end, holding St. Joe’s to 7-of-21 shooting, with scoring droughts of 4:28, 4:08 and 8:00.
“For the first 20 minutes of that game, I thought we were going to give it away,” Mason coach Tony Skinn said. “This was a phenomenal game. I thought these guys showed the resilience they’ve shown all season. To come out in the second half and only allow 20 points, that’s indicative of who they are. They deserve all the credit down the stretch. I don’t care how you get it. I’ll take it.”
Senior Jalen Haynes led the Green & Gold with a monster 22-point effort (8-of-16 FG). Haynes also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out two assists.
It marked the third 20+ point effort for Haynes this season.
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Chris Graham
