Box Score (PDF)

WASHINGTON – The George Mason University men's basketball team showed inspiring resilience from half to half in a critical 66-53 victory over George Washington on Wednesday night inside the Smith Center.
 
The Patriots missed 15 of their first 17 shots, but kept a stellar defensive mindset throughout that portion of the game. It allowed the Green & Gold to keep pace with GW and eventually move ahead to take a 26-20 lead at halftime.
 
GW fought back to go ahead 45-44 with less than 10 minutes remaining, but from there, freshman Justyn Fernandez exploded for four 3-pointers in just over five minutes. That fueled a 15-2 run that gave Mason command of the game for good.

"GW has an NBA mid-season flow to their offense," head coach Kim English said. "Our guys did a really good job of feeling the texture of the game in the first half. In the second half, we were able to get stops on command, which gave us the cushion needed to pull out the win."
 
The defensive effort proved consistent throughout, as the Green & Gold held the A-10's top scoring offense (76.5 ppg) to just 53 points, the Colonials' lowest output of the season.
 
The Patriots shot 54.8 percent in the second half and enjoyed a sizable 39-28 edge on the glass for the game. Mason also practiced the ball security English preaches and committed just eight turnovers in the game.
 
Senior Josh Oduro led the Patriots with his A-10-leading 11^th double-double of the season. The Gainesville, Va., product tallied team bests in points (19) and rebounds (12) while dishing out three assists and grabbing three steals in 33 minutes.
 
Fernandez finished with 15 points, just three off his career high, and made a sizzling 5-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc.
 
Junior point guard Ronald Polite III added 12 points (5-8 FG), five rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes.
 
GW built an early 10-4 advantage during Mason's initial offensive struggles. But the Patriots refused to let that slow start effect their defensive energy, as Mason locked in and got stop after stop on that end of the floor.
 
Fueled by that defensive effort, the Patriots hit eight of their next 12 shots and rattled off a 10-0 run to go up 21-12 at the 4:52 mark of the first half. Mason took a 26-20 edge into the break.
 
After a back-and-forth start to the second half, GW used a 6-2 spurt to tie the game at 40 at the 9:48 mark of the stanza. The Colonials took the lead at 45-44 with 8:25 to go, but from there, the Patriots exploded for that 15-2 run, fueled by a trio of Fernandez 3-pointers, to go up 60-48 with 2:47 left.
 
A fourth 3-pointer in 5+ minutes from Fernandez pushed Mason in front by 13 (63-50), and GW could not move closer than 10 (60-50) for the remainder of the game.
 
George Mason returns to Fairfax for its 2023 Homecoming Game. The Patriots will take on La Salle on Saturday (Feb. 18) at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on MASN2 and ESPN+.