RICHMOND, Va. – The George Mason men's basketball team erased a 24-point deficit and came within 11 points on several occasions, but could not overcome a strong first half from Richmond, falling 75-65 in the Robins Center on Thursday. Shevon Thompson posted a double-double behind 19 points and 17 rebounds as Mason fell to 6-8 overall and 1-1 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. Richmond moved to 8-7, 1-1 capturing its first A-10 win of the season.

Richmond shot 68.0 percent in the first half and went 6-for-9 from three-point range to lead 42-23 at the halftime break. The Patriots shot 34.5 percent in the first half, but challenged the Spiders in the second half, shooting 54.8 percent, while holding UR to 38.9 percent. Mason out-rebounded UR for the game, 39-19, including a 22-7 second half advantage and held the Spiders without an offensive rebound the entire contest. Mason converted 18 offensive rebounds into 19 second chance points. Richmond finished the game going 20-for-23 from the charity stripe, while Mason was just 6-for-11.

Thompson led the Patriots with his sixth double-double of the season behind 19 points and 17 rebounds. Patrick Holloway added 17 points to the board, scoring all 17 in the second half and hitting three triples in the process. Four Spiders scored in double-figures led by Terry Allen with 20 points. Kendall Anthony added 19 points, while T.J. Cline contributed 14 points and ShawnDre' Jones chipped in 13.

Richmond won the tip as the teams traded the lead back-and-forth in the early going before a 12-6 run by the Spiders pushed the home squad to a 24-18 advantage at the 7:04 mark, forcing Mason to call a timeout. The Spiders closed the half with a 20-5 run following Mason's timeout to lead by 19, 42-23, at the break.

Early in the second half, Richmond gained its largest lead of 24 points, but a 15-5 Mason run fueled by three triples from Holloway drew Mason to within 14 at 56-42 and Richmond was forced to call a timeout with 11:20 to play. After a three-point play from Jones, Marko Gujanicic, Marquise Moore and Isaiah Jackson scored six unanswered to slice the score to 11 points, 59-48. Mason came within 11 again on a Holloway layup as the Patriots saw several opportunities to cut the score further but could not convert as the Patriots' closest margin was the final score off a Holloway jumper, 75-65.