George Mason upsets Oklahoma State in Charleston Classic

For the second straight day, George Mason handed an opponent its first loss of the season as the Patriots defeated Oklahoma State in overtime 71-68 to advance to the Gildan Charleston Classic Championship game on Sunday. Jaire Grayer posted a career-high of 23 points, while Shevon Thompson notched his second consecutive double-double behind 20 points and 17 rebounds.
GAME NOTES
-Mason trailed by 10 points with 5:50 to play in regulation and used an 18-3 run over nearly five minutes of action to erase its deficit and hold a 56-51 advantage with 56.1 left to play.
-OSU’s Joe Burton converted a layup with 43 seconds left and drained a triple from the top of the arc with 16 seconds to play to tie the score at 56-56.
-Mason called its final timeout of regulation and on the final play, Otis Livingston II’s trey attempt hit the rim and rolled off, forcing overtime.
-Marko Gujanicic hit a triple to open the overtime period, but the lead was short-lived as Mason and OSU exchanged the lead twice before Marquise Moore gained the final lead for the Patriots with 1:47 to play.
-Shevon Thompson converted a three-point play with 1:03 to go, handing Mason a 69-65 advantage. The Patriots extended their lead on a Moore jumper at 18 seconds. With 10 seconds left, OSU’s Jeff Newberry hit a jumper as the Cowboys rebounded a missed one-and-one opportunity for Gujanicic, but couldn’t convert in the finals seconds, sealing the overtime win for Mason.
-Mason led at the halftime break 26-22, but was outscored in the second half, 34-30.

STAT BREAKDOWN
-Two Patriots scored in double-figures in Grayer and Thompson.
-Mason won the battle on the glass 45-41 with Thompson’s 17 boards.
-For the game, Mason shot 41.4 percent, while OSU shot 37.9 percent.
-Marquise Moore recorded a career-high eight assists in the victory as Mason had 15 assists for the third consecutive game.
-The Patriots shot 45.8 percent from three-point range, going 11-for-24. Grayer hit 5-of-7 from distance, while Marko Gujanicic and Otis Livingston II each had three treys.
-Mason was 2-for-7 at the charity stripe. OSU was 13-for-17.

NEXT ON THE COURT
-Mason will play in the Gildan Charleston Classic championship game on Sunday against the winner of Long Beach State and No. 6 Virginia at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2.