Box Score (PDF)

* The Patriots shot 62.1 percent in the first half, but just 20.7 percent in the second
* Mason limited La Salle to 38.7 percent shooting for the game
* Sophomore Justin Kier led the Green & Gold with 19 points (9-12 FG) and seven rebounds
 
PHILADELPHIA – The George Mason University men's basketball team (12-15, 6-8) played a great first half Saturday afternoon but could not finish the job in the second, falling to host La Salle (11-16, 5-9) inside Tom Gola Arena.
 
Mason led 45-32 at the half after shooting a sizzling 62.1 percent in the first (18-29). But the Patriots would make just six field goals in the second (6-29, .207) as the Explorers posted a +20 (37-17) scoring advantage in the final frame.
 
 "This is a tough one to swallow," head coach Dave Paulsen said. "I thought we played pretty well in the first half, but we just couldn't handle the adversity in the second half. We  had some good shots we didn't make - and we've been making those the past few games. When you bring a team on the road in February, it's always a challenge, especially with such a young team. We have to learn to fight through the mental fatigue and get a little healthier. We're not quite ready yet to put three good performances back-to-back-to-back."
 
Sophomore Justin Kier put together one of his most efficient efforts of the season to lead the Patriots Saturday. He notched a team-high 19 points and made 9-of-12 field goal attempts while grabbing seven rebounds. The Grottoes, Va., product is shooting an impressive 55.4 percent from the floor (51-92) over the past 10 games.
 
Fellow sophomore Ian Boyd tallied 11 points and four rebounds, while Otis Livingston II added eight points and five assists, despite struggling from the field (3-18 FG).
 
Mason limited La Salle to just 38.7 percent shooting (24-62), including 23.8 percent (5-21) from long distance. Over the past five games, the Patriots are limiting foes to just 39.4 percent from the floor and 28.3 percent from long range.
 
Mason roared out of the gate to start the game, as the Patriots made eight of their first 11 shots to build a 20-8 lead at the 11:53 mark of the first half. On the other end, Mason held the Explorers to just 3-of-12 shooting to start.
 
Mason extended the lead to 13 at 30-17, then 14 at 35-21. From there, Mason cleared out and let Kier explode to the rim on occasion after occasion. He posted eight-straight for the Green & Gold while building the lead up to 15 (43-28).
 
The Patriots took a 45-32 edge into the break. Kier notched 14 points in the period and converted on 7-of-8 field goal attempts.
 
Mason started the second half just 1-of-11 from the floor as La Salle used a 14-3 run to pull within two at 48-46. The Patriots pushed it back out to six (52-46) with 12 minutes to play in the game, but from there, the Explorers used another 9-0 spurt to build a 55-52 edge with seven minutes left.
 
In all, the run for La Salle peaked at 25-7 over a stretch of nearly 14 minutes.
 
A lay-in from Boyd moved Mason back within one (57-56) and the Green & Gold went up three (60-57) with 3:21 left after back-to-back buckets from Kier.
 
But Mason could only manage one field goal over the final 3:21 as La Salle closed the game well down the stretch.
 
Mason remains in Philadelphia for a Wednesday contest at Saint Joseph's. Tip-off between the Patriots and Hawks is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Hagan Arena. The game will be broadcast on the A-10 Digital Network. The Green & Gold won the first meeting between the teams, 81-79, on Jan. 10 behind a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Otis Livingston II in Fairfax.
 
#GetPatriotic