George Mason asserted its dominance in a 90-53 victory over Morgan State Sunday night, wrapping up its season-opening homestand with a 3-0 record.
In all three of those convincing wins, the Patriots shot better than 50 percent from the floor and limited their opponent to less than 40 percent shooting.
It marks the first time in school history Mason has started the season with three 20+ point wins.
“The foundation in this program was laid well before we arrived,” head coach Kim English said. “We want to make sure every time we take the court it’s about more than just the opponent. We want to play the right way, and that’s tough, that’s physical, that’s taking care of the ball and getting great shots.”
The team’s remarkably consistent winning formula was on full display Sunday.
The Patriots hit the 90-point mark for the first time this season on the strength of a shooting night in which Mason made a sizzling 15-of-33 attempts (.455). It marked the most triples made by the Green & Gold in EagleBank Arena in more than 20 years.
On the other end of the floor, the Patriots locked in, limiting the Bears to 34.4 percent and just eight assists on 21 made field goals. Mason forced 17 Morgan State turnovers and held a 28-10 edge in points off turnovers for the game.
Despite Morgan State’s consistent pressure in the backcourt, Mason weathered the storm with contributions from players across the board, with 11 student-athletes playing at least nine minutes in the game.
Junior Josh Oduro continued his tremendous progression with an outstanding effort Sunday, tallying 22 points on just night shots. The Gainesville, Va., product made 8-of-9 attempts and hit all three of his 3-pointers to go along with six rebounds and a season-best three blocks in just 26 minutes. He’s averaging 19.3 points and shooting a sizzling 71.4 percent from the floor on the year.
Graduate student D’Shawn Schwartz added 17 points (4-9 3pt FG) and seven rebounds in 27 minutes, while junior Davonte Gaines registered a career-best 15 points (4-8 FG) to go along with eight rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists.
Graduate student DeVon Cooper notched 14 points (4-9 3pt FG), while sophomore Otis Frazier III tallied nine points (4-4 FG) in nine minutes in his first game back this season.
Mason continued its dominance on the glass with a +17 edge (44-27) Sunday and now holds a +13.0 average rebounding margin on the year.
The Patriots led 13-12 at the 12:17 mark of the first half, before using a blitzing 16-3 run to build a 29-14 lead at the 7:42 mark. After leading 43-27 at the break, the Green & Gold utilized another big run, this time 14-2, to go up 28 (57-29) at the 13:28 mark. The Bears could not move closer than 22 for the remainder of the game.
The Patriots now face their first road test of the year with a marquee contest at No. 21/21 Maryland Wednesday night in College Park. The 7 p.m. contest will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network.
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