– stock.adobe.com)
George Mason put together another late-game rally on Saturday at UMass, but came up just short as the Minutemen were able to hang on for a 66-65 victory.
Trailing 65-63 with 21 seconds left, Mason’s Baraka Okojie converted a crafty lay-in to tie the score with under two seconds to go. But an untimely late foul by the Patriots (15-7, 4-5 A-10) allowed Massachusetts (14-7, 5-4 A-10) to escape with a one-point win.
“This was a tough loss,” Mason coach Tony Skinn said. “With 18 offensive rebounds by UMass, we still battled and kept it to a one-possession game and had a chance to send it to overtime. It’s frustrating knowing it’s our second loss in a row by a total of three points. But credit goes to UMass, they wanted it and they did exactly what they do on film. They made it difficult for us.”
Sophomore Keyshawn Hall led the Patriots with an A-10-personal-best 23 points (8-of-16 FG) to go along with four rebounds and two steals in 36 minutes.
Virginia Tech transfer Darius Maddox added 14 points (2-of-5 3FG), while senior Woody Newton grabbed a team-best six rebounds and finished with 11 points.
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Chris Graham
