Box Score (PDF)

* Mason now advances to the quarterfinals vs. No. 4 Saint Joseph's Friday at 2:30 p.m.
* Junior Otis Livingston II led the Patriots with 21 points and made 14-of-14 free throw attempts
* Freshmen scored 46 of Mason's 80 points in the game
 
WASHINGTON – For the second-straight season, the George Mason University men's basketball team (16-16) is advancing to the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
 
Fifth-seeded Mason knocked off No. 13 Massachusetts 80-75 on Thursday afternoon, erasing a 14-point, first half deficit. The Green & Gold received critical contributions from all four Mason freshmen, as the quartet posted 46 of the Patriots' 80 points in the game.
 
In addition, junior Otis Livingston II scored 15 of his team-high 21 points in the second half and went a perfect 14-of-14 from the free throw line. It marked the third-most free throws made without a miss in a game by a Mason player.
 
With the victory, the Patriots will now take on No. 4 seed Saint Joseph's on Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. inside Capital One Arena.
 
"This was a gritty, gutty performance," head coach Dave Paulsen said. "UMass played really well and made a ton of shots. But I liked the way our guys buckled down. When we were down in the first half, I told our guys, 'we can't panic, but at the same time, we need to have a greater sense of urgency on the defensive end.' I thought we did that."
 
The Patriots dominated the game in a few key categories. Mason absolutely controlled the glass while posting a +8 (37-29) margin and grabbing 20 offensive rebounds. Those offensive boards led to a monster 26-6 edge for the Green & Gold in second-chance points.
 
In addition, the Patriots forced 18 Minutemen turnovers, which led to a sizable 29-14 advantage in points off turnovers. Mason also won the bench scoring battle, 24-5.
 
Leading Mason's quartet of freshmen defensively was Goanar Mar, who posted 16 points and made 7-of-9 free throw attempts. AJ Wilson grabbed a career-high seven offensive rebounds while finishing with 11 points and nine boards.
 
Javon Greene chipped in 11 points and connected on 3-of-4 3-point attempts and Greg Calixte notched eight points and seven rebounds – five of which came on the offensive end.
 
Mason shot just 35.9 percent from the floor while UMass made 53.2 percent of their attempts. But the Green & Gold's relentless effort on defense and on the glass sealed the game down the stretch for the student-athletes from Fairfax.
 
 
Mason made just three of its first 13 shots from the floor as UMass jumped out to an early 19-10 lead. On the other end, UMass made six of its first seven 3-pointers of the game.
 
Luwane Pipkins converted a shot to put UMass up 28-14 at the 8:13 mark of the half, but from there, Mason began to hit its offensive stride.
 
A Mar 3-pointer cut the UMass edge to 32-23. Then, Mar raced to the basket on a fastbreak and completed an AND1 opportunity to make it 35-28 with 3:41 to play in the period. UMass led 39-32 with 1:55 left, but the Patriots blitzed the Minutemen over the final minutes, outscoring them 7-0 to enter the break tied at 39-39.
 
In all, the Patriots outscored the Minutemen 25-11 to end the stanza. Mason shot just 36.4 percent in the half and UMass was at a sizzling 61.9 percent and 7-of-9 from 3-point range. However, the Green & Gold held a 20-9 edge in points off turnovers and turned 11 offensive rebounds into a 14-0 edge in second chance points.
 
UMass went back up seven 48-41 at the 15:25 mark of the second half and led 54-47 with 12:01 to go in the game.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Greene and sophomore Justin Kier moved the Patriots back within one (54-53) at the 11:10 mark, and Mason took the lead at 55-54 on a jumper from Mar.
 
The Minutemen responded with a 5-0 spurt to go up 59-55 with 8:53 left and the Minutemen led 67-64 with 5:46 left.
 
The Patriots tied it up at 69-69 on Greene's third triple at the 4:55 mark and took a 73-71 lead on Livingston II free throws with 3:16 left.
 
UMass tied it up at 73-73, but Mason again went up two (75-73) after two more free throws from Livingston II.

The Green & Gold would not give up the lead again, as UMass climbed within one (76-75) with six seconds to go, but Mason hit its final four free throws to seal the victory.