GREENVILLE, N.C. – The George Mason University men's basketball team put forth a tremendous effort for 50 minutes of play but came up just short in double overtime, falling to East Carolina 78-77 inside Minges Coliseum.
 
George Mason led by four (75-71) with 2:17 to go in the second extra session, but two crucial offensive rebounds by the Pirates extended possessions for the home team, which was able to win by getting to the line down the stretch.
 
Despite exceptional defense while holding the Pirates to just 33.8 percent shooting (24-71), the Patriots struggled on the defensive glass, with 24 Pirate offensive boards leading to a +10 (22-12) edge in second chance points for ECU. GM also turned it over 19 times and shot 27.3 percent (6-22) from beyond the arc.
 
Senior Darius Maddox led the Patriots with his third 20-point outing in five games while also grabbing four rebounds in a team-high 44 minutes.
 
Junior Brayden O'Connor scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and overtime while adding three assists. Junior Giovanni Emejuru tallied 12 points, nine rebounds and three steals, while senior Woody Newton chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
 
The Patriots outscored the Pirates 38-26 in the paint and held a 21-3 advantage in bench scoring.
 
The Green & Gold turned it over five times in the first seven minutes, allowing ECU to jump out to an early 10-5 advantage. The Patriots fought back to tie the score at 20-20, but a 7-0 spurt from ECU gave the Pirates their largest of the first half at 33-26. East Carolina took a 35-31 advantage into the break.
 
The Patriots came out firing in the second half, using an 8-0 run – capped by a Jeremiah Quigley 3-pointer – to move ahead 41-37. George Mason led by five (53-48) with 7:16 to go, but more turnovers from the Green & Gold allowed ECU to push back within one at 53-52.
 
An ECU 3-pointer moved the Pirates back up by one (55-54) with 3:24 to go and after a few back-and-forth possessions, Maddox hit a big 3-pointer to propel Mason to a 59-57 edge with 58 seconds to play. ECU tied it up at 59-59, then Brayden O'Connor converted on the other end. ECU again scored with less than 15 seconds left and a last second effort from GM was no good, sending the game to overtime.
 
The overtime period featured three ties and three lead changes, with neither team able to create any breathing room. The Patriots had a chance on their last possession, but a Maddox 3 was no good and GM could not corral the offensive rebound, sending the game to a second overtime.
 
GM led 75-71 with 2:17 to go in the second OT, but the Pirates scored six points on their next two possessions. On the second, ECU missed its second free throw attempt, but got the offensive board and kicked it out for 3 to go up 77-75. 
 
Mason tied it up at 77-77 on two clutch free throws by O'Connor. The Pirates made one free throw on their next possession to go up 78-77, and Woody Newton's last second attempt rolled just off the rim as ECU was able to get a final stop and take the victory.
 
The Patriots return home for a Wednesday night contest vs. Coppin State. Tip-off between the Patriots and Eagles is set for 7 p.m. inside EagleBank Arena.