George Mason fell to VCU in Saturday’s annual Homecoming Game, 85-70, before 6,333 fans inside EagleBank Arena.
The Rams (16-7, 9-3 A-10) shot 55.6 percent from the floor for the game (30-54) and limited Mason (12-11, 5-5 A-10) to 43.1 percent (9-27). VCU also held a +5 (30-25) edge on the glass and turned 17 Patriot turnovers into a 20-9 edge in points off turnovers for the game.
“This was a disappointing outcome,” Mason head coach Kim English said. “I wasn’t proud of our group’s toughness. We didn’t put our best foot forward in that category. I give credit to VCU – I thought their players played with incredible spirit and resolve. We have a ways to go. Defensive rebounding is what you need to hold your hat on as a program. It travels. It will help your offense be better. They did that, and we’re still getting to that point.”
Four Patriots scored in double figures to lead the Mason attack. Junior Josh Oduro notched a team-best 18 points to go along with nine rebounds and two assists.
Junior Davonte Gaines registered 16 points (4-8 FG), three assists and two steals, while graduate student DeVon Cooper added 14 points (4-8 3pt FG) and is now just two triples away from 200 for his career.
Junior point guard Xavier Johnson chipped in 11 points and dished out a team-best nine assists in 39 minutes. He’s now dished out nine or more assists in three of Mason’s last four games.
Mason trailed by two (14-12) at the 12:28 mark of the first half and Mason trailed by that margin (22-20) at the 7:19 mark of the stanza. VCU extended the lead to 10 (40-30) at the half, then extended the edge to 22 in the second half. The Patriots cut it to 12 (63-51) after a Gaines 3-pointer with 9:26 left, but Mason could not move closer than that for the remainder of the game.
The Patriots return to action Wednesday with a contest at Saint Joseph’s. Tip-off in Philly is set for 7 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+.
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