FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason University men's basketball team (12-5, 3-1) improved to 11-1 at home with a 77-70 victory over Massachusetts (6-11, 1-3) Saturday afternoon inside EagleBank Arena.
In a game that featured 55 fouls and 66 free throws, the Patriots fought through the stop-and-go game by holding the Minutemen to 36.4 percent (20-55) shooting and enjoying a commanding edge (43-26) on the glass.
The victory marked the Patriots' 10
th in the past 12 games heading into a key road game at Dayton on Wednesday night. GM is 3-1 in league play for the first time since 2021-22.
"We played arguably the most physical team in our league today," head coach Tony Skinn ('06) said. "I think our guys locked in to our scout. I was worried about how they crash the glass, but I thought we did a phenomenal job there."
Four Patriots scored in double figures during an all-around effort by the Green & Gold.
Senior
Darius Maddox led George Mason with an A-10 season-high 18 points (7-15) in 36 minutes of action.
Junior
Brayden O'Connor added 11 points, three assists and three rebounds, while senior
Jared Billups registered 10 points, six rebounds and two assists.
Senior
K.D. Johnson chipped in 10 points and dished out four assists, while freshman
Justin Begg distributed a career-best five assists.
The Patriots trailed 10-6 early, before using an 18-3 lead to build a 24-13 edge at the 6:14 mark of the first half. The Patriots led by that margin at 36-25, but the Minutemen closed the half on a 7-0 spurt to cut the GM lead to four (36-32) at the break.
George Mason extended the lead back to 10 (53-43) with 11:49 remaining and went up 12 after two free throws from
Stas Sivka at the 7:07 mark. GM led by as many as 14 (63-49) and the Minutemen could not move closer than seven for the remainder of the game.
Next up, George Mason hits the road for a primetime, nationally-televised contest Wednesday at Dayton. Tip-off inside UD Arena between the Patriots and Flyers is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
