It was a game that the teams were never separated by more than seven points, George Mason and Towson battled back and forth with six ties and 14 lead changes, but the Tigers would prevail, 67-61, in the 2016-17 season opener for both teams tonight at EagleBank Arena.

"I am tremendously disappointed in the outcome, but I am not discouraged," said Coach Paulsen.  "That's a game we could have won, but Towson is a good team and there's a lot we can learn from this game."

Towson scored the first four points of the game, but sophomore DeAndre Abram would get the crowd on their feet with a dunk to begin the Patriots scoring. A jumper by Jalen Jenkins with 10:32 left in the first half gave Mason their biggest lead of the half, 15-11.

The Tigers would take their biggest lead of the half, 24-18, on a layup by Mike Morsell. Freshman Justin Kier scored four straight points and Otis Livingston II hit a three-pointer to give the Patriots a 26-25 lead. Mason would have the edge at the half, 31-30, after a layup by freshman Ian Boyd with seven seconds remaining.

The Patriots tough defense to open the second held the Tigers to no field goals for the first 4:47 and remained on top with a 37-33 lead. The Tigers would go on a 6-1 run and regain the lead for the first time in the second half, 39-38, after a Mike Morsell layup with 12:55 on the clock. The veteran Marquise Moore took over for the Patriots scoring seven straight points to give Mason their largest lead of the half, 44-39.

The Tigers senior and preseason First Team All-CAA William Adala Moto took over for Towson scoring 14 points in the final 7:19 of the game. He gave the Tigers the lead for good, 52-49, after draining a 3-pointer from the wing and scored 12 points in that span. Otis Livingston II would get fouled on a three-point attempt and make all three free throws to bring the Patriots to within four points, 65-61, with 15 seconds left, but Towson would ice the game making three of four foul shots to end the game.

    Key Points

• Seniors Jalen Jenkins and Marquise Moore led the Patriots in points with 19 and 13 points. Jenkins scored 11 of his team-high points in the second half.
• Sophomore Otis Livingston II added 11 points and three assists.
• Senior William Moto Adala, a preseason First-Team CAA, led the Tigers with 22 and junior Mike Morsell added 21 points.
• Mason was out-rebounded 39-32
• Towson started four upperclassmen to Mason's line-up of two seniors and three sophomores.           
• Mason has lost to Towson three straight games, but own 32-11 overall series record against the Tigers.

 Next: Mason to host Lebanon Valley College on Tuesday, November 15 at 7 p.m. at EagleBank Arena.