Early in the second half of Friday night's game at Winston-Salem, N.C., things looked pretty bad for the George Mason Patriots. Mason was shooting just .355 from the field against Wake Forest and trailed the nation's 18th-ranked team by 19 on its home floor. But that's when things turned around completely for the Patriots.
Shots started falling, the defense forced turnovers and the Patriots played with more than enough confidence to put the Demon Deacons on their heels. Unfortunately for Mason, the one thing that didn't wither for Wake Forest was its free-throw shooting. Wake Forest made 10 of 13 free throws in overtime, to down the Patriots 83-78 at the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
The Patriots were looking for their first-ever win over a ranked opponent and with 2:50 to play, they were in position to pull off what some would have called the biggest win in school history. Lamar Butler's jumper gave Mason a 69-68 lead, capping a 38-18 run.
That lead lasted less than 20 seconds, though, as Chris Ellis hit a 3-pointer to give the lead back to Wake. The only scoring over the final 2:31 was a pair of free throws by Mason's Jai Lewis that forced the overtime period. Tony Skinn missed a 3-pointer with 59 seconds to play and Wake's Trent Strickland missed a jumper with 3 seconds to go setting up the final five minutes.
Mason never had a lead in the extra frame, but Mason had chances and stayed close until the final minute when the Demon Deacons began to sink their free throws, going 6 of 6 from the line in the final 22.2 seconds.
Mason was hampered by both injuries and fouls. Gabe Norwood left midway through the second half with a sprained ankle. He's listed as day-to-day. Jesus Urbina did not make the trip because he's still recovering from injury. Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell each fouled out while Lewis and Skinn each were limited with four fouls.
The two halves were completely different stories, as Wake shot 64 percent from the field in the first half while holding Mason to 35.5 percent shooting. Wake's Eric Williams scored 14 points in the first half shooting 6 of 8 from the field. In the second half, Wake shot 55 percent but Mason improved to 57.1 percent and forced 12 turnovers while grabbing six steals. Mason's fullcourt pressure defense trigged the run that allowed the Patriots to get back into the game.
Skinn and Butler dominated for Mason down the stretch, scoring 14 straight points for Mason at point, taking the team from down 66-55, to up 69-68. Meanwhile, the Wake Forest backcourt struggled. All-ACC shooting guard Justin Gray, who has been moved to the point to replace All-American Chris Paul who left early for the NBA, committed 10 turnovers, seven in the second half. As a team, Wake committed 15 of its 20 turnovers in the second half.
Skinn finished with a game-high 23 points and made 7 of 8 free throws. Lewis had 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Butler added 18 while Will Thomas had 12 points. Folarin Campbell had seven assists but was just 1 of 9 shooting from the field. Williams finished with 19 points while Strickland had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Gray finished with 17 and Ellis had 11.
Mason finished the game shooting just 57.1 percent from the free throw line while Wake shot 64.7 percent.
The Patriots (1-1) are off until Nov. 22 when they open at home against Creighton.
