The first win of the Dave Paulsen era turned out to be an upset. After opening losses to Colgate and Mercer in which the George Mason men's basketball team had leads in the second half, the Patriots overcame past flaws of ill-advised turnovers and fouls in a 68-62 victory against Mississippi in Thursday's first round of the Gildan Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C.
The win will make a brutal five-game road trip more tolerable and provide positive feedback from all the lessons on basics that Paulsen has been drilling in practice.
The Patriots, who play Friday against Oklahoma State, a 69-52 winner against Towson, had plenty of heroes Thursday.
Shevon Thompson, the 6-11 senior center, certainly made an impression on NBA scouts with 19 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks, including a stuff of a dunk attempt late in the game. He drew compliments from color commentator Craig Robinson, the ex-Oregon State coach and President Obama's brother-in-law.
Freshmen guards Otis Livingston II and Jaire Grayer combined for 25 points on 10-for-20 shooting.
Senior Marco Gujanicic (game-high six assists) and junior Marquise Moore (12 points, three assists) provided stabilization, heady plays and some big hoops, including a rare three-pointer by Moore that gave the Patriots a 59-56 lead after they had blown a 13-point lead in the second half.
The Patriots weren't flawless. There were 18 turnovers and fouls that jeopardized the win. But they made plays when plays needed to be made.
And those might go back to Paulsen's attention to detail and effort in practice. During an intrasquad scrimmage timeout, he sent the players back onto the court and make them run, not walk, to the bench. No bad body language allowed.
When a player dove on defense, hit the floor and no one came to help him up and offer praise for the hustle, Paulsen had the team run sprints. He wants great defensive effort to be acknowledged by teammates and to show opponents team solidarity.
Last Saturday, the day after the opening loss to Colgate, in which the team shot poorly, he delivered a pointed address after a daily shooting drill. He told the team in the 13 years or so that he had been using the drill at Bucknell and Williams that he had never seen such poor performances as those by the Patriots.
The goal is 80 makes of 15-20 footers from various spots in four minutes with three balls in play. The Patriots had yet to make the goal. Paulsen's Bucknell teams might miss the goal a handful of times per season.
He pointed out lack of hustle on cuts and rebounds, poor passes, lackadaisical shooting form. “Everything matters,” he said, directing the team to run the drill again.
With greater urgency and focus, the team surpassed the goal for the first time. “There was an edge that time,” he told the players. “Let's get an edge in everything we do.”
There was an edge Thursday.
On the Road Again: The Patriots play three games in four days in Charleston with the tourney ending on Sunday. The team will take a charter flight home Sunday, practice Monday and leave Tuesday for New York City to play at Manhattan on Wednesday.
The end of the trip consists of four games in seven days.
On the Shelf: Daniel Relvao had surgery to clean up the cartilage in his right knee last Friday morning and was at the opener on crutches. The 6-9 freshman center from Portugal had time for a quick reunion with Colgate freshman Francisco Amiel. The two play together on the Portugese national team.
Relvao, an ex-swimmer who has been playing basketball for just three years, said he won't be able to play for a few months and will redshirt the season. The mechanical engineering major plans to focus on studies and rehab.
Family Addition: Relvao's biggest complaint after the surgery was pain that made sleeping difficult. Assistant coach Aaron Kelly can identify with sleep deprivation.
He and his wife celebrated the birth of their first child, Sean, on Nov.9.
