Otis Livingston II has logged a team-high 945 minutes heading into Saturday's game at La Salle.
Most of them have been excellent.
The 5-11 junior point guard is averaging 17.4 ppg, 4.6 apg and shooting 43.5 percent from 3-point range for the season.
None of those minutes has been as efficient/spectacular as a 1:18 stretch midway through the second half of Wednesday's 85-67 home victory against Dayton. Livingston II scored 11 points on four shots, sparking the Patriots from a 48-37 lead to a 59-42 margin with 12:00 left.
Here's how he outscored Dayton 11-5:
--Off a high screen from AJ Wilson, Livingston II sinks a jumper from the top of the key, off the dribble, from NBA range, as his defender goes underneath the screen.
--Wilson again comes out to set a high screen. This time, Livingston II refuses the screen, takes two hard dribbles to his right, stops on a dime just beyond the arc to create separation with his defender and makes a tough pull-up jumper.
--Dayton switches to a zone defense. As the Patriots work the ball from Javon Greene at the point to Goanar Mar on the left wing, Livingston II waves his arms on the right wing to signal he's open. Mar executes a nifty skip pass to Livingston II, who catches, shoots over a lunging defender and makes another NBA-range three.
--Dayton goes back to man-to-man. Greg Calixte sets a screen beyond the top of the key in the middle of the floor. Livingston II goes left, splits two defenders with a low left-to-right crossover dribble, hangs in the air and makes a right-handed layup on the left side over a helping defender.
He's hard to guard and fun to watch. Livingston II has a full arsenal: he can shoot 3-pointers off the dribble or a pass; he has a deadly pull-up jumper; he can get to the rim; he can go left or right.
He finished with a career-high seven 3-pointers – he's had five a couple of times – in just nine attempts. That's an effective shooting percentage of 116 percent.
"I just came off (high ball screens) and was looking to be aggressive to attack either for myself or my teammates," Livingston II said. "I was fortunate enough to make those shots.
"My coaches trust me to take those shots; my teammates trust me to take those shots. So that helps a lot when they have confidence in me."
He does more than score. He had six assists to go with 29 points against Dayton. In the Patriots' previous game, a 72-65 win against GW last weekend, Livingston II had 14 points and nine assists.
The GW victory was not only the first for the Patriots (12-14, 6-7 A-10) in the fifth year of the Revolutionary Rivalry since both schools have been in the A-10, it was revenge for Livingston II, who struggled in the teams' first meeting this season. Dogged by 6-8 Yuta Watanabe, a strong defender with quick feet and long arms, Livingston II struggled in an 80-68 loss with three points and three assists.
In the rematch, Mason coach Dave Paulsen had guard Justin Kier setting high screens, causing GW to often switch defenders, meaning Watanabe was no longer guarding Livingston II, in better position to attack.
Livingston II has gotten better as the season has progressed, crediting the coaching staff that works with each player on individual skills for a half hour each practice. In 13 A-10 games, he is averaging 20.5 ppg and 4.9 apg while shooting 47.2 percent from the arc and 83.3 percent from the foul line.
"He's been playing great in conference games," Paulsen said. "What he's doing now as a point guard is finding that fine line of being aggressive -- looking for his offense -- and then finding a way to get other guys their offense.
"He's making the right decision a high, high percentage of the time. That's the growth of him as a point guard -- when to attack, when to get others involved. He's played the point guard position in the last two games about as well as you can play."
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