Box Score (PDF)

* Jarred Reuter finished with a team-high 14 points (6-8 FG) and iced the game with two FTs in the final seconds
* Mason is now 4-0 on the road in A-10 play and 6-1 overall in the league
* The Patriots host rival George Washington on Saturday at 7 p.m. in EagleBank Arena

Photo credit: Rick Roshto
 
DAYTON, Ohio – In one of the most raucous road venues in the nation, the George Mason University men's basketball continued to sharpen its road prowess with an important 67-63 win Wednesday night at Dayton.
 
The victory improves the Patriots to 4-0 on the road in league play and 6-1 overall. It's a big one for the league standings, as contender Dayton now drops to 4-2 in the league (12-7 overall).

"That was a great win and a gritty effort," head coach Dave Paulsen said. "Our guys played so well defensively, especially down the stretch. What I liked is when we got down late, there was no panic in our guys. We came down, executed and got some good shots. It's very gratifying for our guys."
 
Mason trailed 63-60 with 2:58 left and the crowd on their feet, but the Patriots went on to close the game on a 7-0 run and hold Dayton scoreless over the final minutes of the contest.
 
Redshirt-junior Jarred Reuter notched a team-high 14 points (6-8 FG) and hit the final two free throws to ice the game in the final five seconds. He also chipped in four rebounds, two assists and two steals in a season-high 28 minutes.
 
Senior Otis Livingston II added 13 points (5-11 FG) and a team-high four assists, while Justin Kier finished with 12 points, three rebounds and two steals.
 
Mason limited Dayton – which ranked third in the nation in field goal percentage (.504) – to just 43.3 percent (13-30) and 8-of-27 (.296) from beyond the arc.
 
The Patriots shot 54.5 percent (12-22) in the deciding second half and outscored the Flyers 36-30 in the period.

The loss dropped Dayton to 9-2 at home. The team's only other loss in UD Arena this season is to No. 22 Mississippi State.
 
Dayton made seven of its first nine shots and built a 16-10 lead six minutes into the game. From there, Mason started to get stops and used a 12-0 run over the next four minutes to jump in front by six (26-20). The Flyers' Dwayne Cohill nailed back-to-back triples to tie it up at 26-26 at the 6:29 mark, and at that point, Mason could not put the ball in the basket over the next 4+ minutes.
 
The Patriot drought helped the Flyers go up 33-28 with under two minutes to go in the opening stanza, but Boyd nailed a 3-pointer for the Green & Gold, which kept the deficit at two (33-31) at the break. Mason shot just 38.7 percent in the first half and made 3-of-12 3-pointers, despite running good offense which led to a number of quality shots around the perimeter.
 
Dayton extended the lead to four (37-33) early in the second half, but Mason answered with a 6-0 spurt to take a 40-37 lead. The teams went back and forth over the next 5+ minutes, before Mason took a 51-47 edge at the 9:39 mark after a nifty lay-in from Reuter.
 
Mason led 58-55 after a big 3-pointer from Kier with 6:20 to go, but from there, the Flyers used an 8-2 spurt to go back up 3 (63-60) with under three minutes to go. Mason raced back with two straight buckets from Reuter and Ian Boyd to claim a 64-63 advantage and made it 65-63 after a 1-of-2 free throw trip for Kier.
 
Mason then got three key stops down the stretch and Reuter made the final two free throws to secure the win for the Green & Gold.
 
Mason returns home Saturday for the first of two Revolutionary Rivalry contests vs. George Washington. Tip-off between the Patriots and Colonials is set for 7 p.m. The game will be televised locally on MASN2 and streamed nationally on ESPN+.
 
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