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George Mason put together a big second half on its way to a 92-84 victory over Rhode Island before 6,756 fans on Homecoming Saturday inside EagleBank Arena.
The Patriots (15-5, 4-3 A-10) trailed 42-40 at the break, but outscored the Rams (9-11, 3-4 A-10) 42-32 in the second half to secure the win.
Rhode Island made 13 three-pointers – just one off its season high – to stay within striking distance in the second half. But the Patriots were able to come out on top after holding significant advantages in points off turnovers (44-30), free throws made (25-13), second chance points (19-11) and fast break points (13-0).
“I have to shout out the atmosphere tonight, I thought it was electric,” Mason coach Tony Skinn said. “I think it was the best it’s been all year, and that gave us life. We needed this win, like every win in conference. I think I can’t be too greedy. I was upset we gave up so many points in the first half, but we also put a lot of points on the board. This was an amazing game and I’m happy with the win.”
Virginia Tech transfer Darius Maddox led the Patriots with a career-best 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting and made 4-of-6 3-pointers on the night.
Sophomore Keyshawn Hall added an efficient 22 points (7-of-11 FG, 7-of-8 FT) despite battling foul trouble, while freshman Baraka Okojie tallied a career-best 18 points (5-of-6 FG) and made 8-of-10 attempts from the free throw line.
Graduate forward Amari Kelly held down the paint with 17 points (7-10 FG) and game highs in rebounds (9) and blocks (4).
Mason shot 50.8 percent (30-59) from the floor, including a blistering 60.7 percent (17-28) in the second half.
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Chris Graham
