Take it from the Mason coaches and players: Wednesday's 86-81 win against UMass at EagleBankArena may not have happened last year.

   The Patriots went down 13 points midway through the first half, fought back for a 41-39 halftime lead, and trailed again in the second half before making a lot of key plays in the final four minutes. The Patriots (11-4, 1-1 A-10) won a game that was led for 23:48 by UMass (10-5, 0-2). They did it while missing a starter – Justin Kier was fighting the flu and in street clothes – and with Marquise Moore battling a groin injury.

   So there was a lot to overcome. "We've definitely matured a lot," said Moore, who finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists. "Last year I don't think we could have won that game. When we got down, we didn't have the mental capability to comeback like that, the mental fortitude. It shows how much we've grown over the year. We're mentally tougher, physically tougher."

   The Patriots also now have as many wins, 11, as they did all of last season. Moore personified the increased grit with a stellar performance under difficult circumstances. Since injuring his groin in the first half of the VCU game, he spent more time in training room water tanks and an underwater treadmill than on the court, undergoing a rehab regimen devised by trainer Bekah Schmidt.

   Mason coach Dave Paulsen liked Moore's attitude regarding the injury as much as his clutch play, which included 6-for-6 foul shooting in the final 1:30 after going 3-for-7 at the line in the first half.

   "That's a sign of maturity," Paulsen said of Moore's play while injured. "Sometimes when guys are injured and maybe for Marquise in the past, there's a mental effect of coming back. 'Am I going to be all right? Am I as explosive?' You're a little tentative.

    "He was really tight at halftime. He was not as explosive in the second half, but he made veteran plays and toughness plays when he was not as dynamic as he was in the first half."

   There were otherPatriots making big plays. Sophomore Jaire Grayer's 16 points and eight rebounds included two offensive rebounds during one possession. After rebounding a missed shot by Jalen Jenkins, Grayer hit a tough fadeway in the paint as part of a three-point play to give Mason a 72-70 lead with 3:27 left.

   Both Paulsen and UMass coach Derek Kellogg considered it the play of the game. It was quickly followed by an Otis Livingston II steal and layup for a four-point lead that put the Patriots in control.

   Livingston had his school record streak of consecutive free throws end at 34 during a night when he was 1-for-3 at the line. The sophomore guard, who scored 18 points, was not concerned with the end of the steak:

   "I just want to make as many as I can. I'm a point guard. I have to make free throws. I'm probably going to get fouled at the end of a game. Just have to focus and knock them down." 

   The Patriots also got a lift from 6-7 post Jalen Jenkins, who finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, banging against 6-11, 310-pound Rashaan Holloway most of the game.

   "Jalen's a warrior," Livingston said. "He's going to battle down there. He's unselfish and he picks his spots really well, depending on the flow of the game and how they're playing him. Some games he only shoots two times.

   "Sometimes they like to send two people at him and then he has to pass more. If it's one on one, we tell him to go to work because he's got a lot of post moves. He's playing big time for us."

   Besides having four players in double figures, the Patriots showed adaptability defensively. After the team trailed 31-18, Paulsen called a timeout and switched from a man-to-man defense to a matchup zone. Mason went on a 23-8 run in the final 7:10 to earn a 41-39 halftime lead.

   "That really slowed them down and confused them," Livingston said. "It was a great adjustment on the defensive end. I think that changed the course of the game in the first half."

   Still, the Patriots had to battle from behind in the second half to get the win.

  "We had opportunities to tumble and fold, but we didn't," Livingston said. "Last year I don't think we were mature enough. We're just a lot tougher this year. Got a lot more grit and a lot more tenacity than last year."