Box Score (PDF)

* Freshman Goanar Mar led the Patriots with 17 points and eight rebounds
* Junior Otis Livingston II added 15 points (9-10 FT), four rebounds and three assists
* Mason held a +5 (40-35) scoring advantage in the second half

RIVIERA MAYA, Mexico – The George Mason University men's basketball team could not overcome a hot shooting night from Louisiana Tech Tuesday, dropping a 77-64 contest to the Bulldogs inside the Hard Rock Hotel.
 
Louisiana Tech (4-0) shot 57.7 percent from the field in the opening half and made eight 3-pointers to build a 42-24 lead at the half. Mason (3-2) shot just 20.8 percent. But in the second, after LA Tech moved ahead by as many as 26, the Patriots improved to a 43.3 percent clip and cut the Bulldog lead to 11 in the final five minutes.
 
Freshman Goanar Mar continued the red hot start to his young Mason career, dropping a team-high 17 points (4-8 FG) while adding eight rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes. He made 9-of-9 free throw attempts and is now a perfect 16-of-16 from the line over the past two games. He's averaging 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and shooting 51.5 percent (17-33) over the past three contests.
 
Junior Otis Livingston II tallied 15 points (9-10 FT), four rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes, while fellow junior Jaire Grayer added 14 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Ian Boyd rounded out the Mason leaders with nine points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes.
 
The Patriots out-rebounded their opponent for the third-straight game while holding a 38-35 edge on the glass. Mason also was +6 (24-18) in points in the paint for the game. The Green & Gold held Louisiana Tech to 38.7 percent in the second half and shot 47 percent over the final 12 minutes.
 
The Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-5 advantage and increased the lead to 10 (22-12) at the 8:13 mark of the half. Mason cut the lead to six (25-19) with 6:12 to play in the period, but the Bulldogs responded with a 10-0 spurt to build a 16-point edge (35-19) with 3:54 left. The Louisiana Tech advantage increased to 19 (40-21) at the 1:45 mark and the Bulldogs took a 42-24 lead into the break.
 
Mason was held without a field goal for the final 6:53 of the half. The Patriots made 13 free throws in the period but just 5-of-24 field goals (.208). LA Tech was 15-of-26 (.577) from the floor and 8-of-14 from 3-point range (.571).
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers by the Bulldogs pushed the lead to 26 (52-26) three minutes into the second half, but the Patriots would not go quietly. Mason exploded back into the game with an 11-0 run that cut the Louisiana Tech lead to 15 (52-37) with 12:38 to play.
 
The Bulldogs went back up 20 (63-43) at the 8-minute mark, but Mason used another spurt – this time 11-2 – to cut the edge to 11 (69-58) with 2:53 to play. On the ensuing Patriot possession, a 3-pointer from Ian Boyd went halfway down and then out – a basket that would've moved Mason within eight.
 
But the Patriots could not move closer than 11 for the remainder of the contest.
 
Depending on Tuesday's late game results, Mason will play either Fresno State or Evansville in Cancun on Wednesday (Nov. 22) at either 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. The contest also will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

#GetPatriotic