Box Score (PDF)

DAVIDSON, N.C. – The George Mason University men's basketball team (16-5, 8-1) showed great resilience late during a historic 64-60 win at Davidson (13-8, 3-5) on Saturday afternoon inside Belk Arena.
 
The win improves the Patriots to 8-1 in league play, marking the best A-10 start in program history. GM remains a game ahead of VCU for first place in the Atlantic 10.
 
The Patriots led by 16 (50-34) with 10:32 to go, but a furious 14-4 Davidson rally pushed the Wildcats within six (54-48) with 5:48 left. Davidson got as close as two (62-60) with 10 seconds to play, but two perfect trips to the line on the one-and-one by Darius Maddox and Brayden O'Connor ensured the Patriots would escape Belk Arena with the team's seventh-straight win.
 
"I'm extremely proud of our team," head coach Tony Skinn ('06) said. "It was another resilient effort on the road. These guys have really bought into what our identity is. Down the stretch, things got a little chippy and some things didn't go in our favor. But we found a way to stay together. A road win is a road win and all the credit goes to these guys."
 
George Mason showcased its league-best defense Saturday while holding the Wildcats to a season-low 35.6 percent (21-59) from the floor.
 
The Patriots shot an efficient 48 percent (24-50) and made 6-of-16 (.375) 3-pointers, improving the team to 14-1 when it shoots 30 percent or better from beyond the arc.
 
GM held a +7 (35-28) edge on the glass, was +12 (34-22) in points in the paint and tallied 20 bench points to the Wildcats' eight.
 
Senior Jalen Haynes led the Green & Gold with 12 points (5-9 FG), three blocks and two assists while Maddox added 12 points (2-5 3pt, 4-4 FT). O'Connor scored eight of his 10 points in the second half.
 
The Wildcats scored the first five points of the game and led by four (15-11) at the 11:02 mark of the first half. The Patriots responded with a 9-1 run to take a four-point edge at 20-16. George Mason led by that margin at the half (33-29).
 
The Patriots held the Wildcats to just two field goals over the first eight minutes of the second half and used the subsequent 12-5 spurt to build a 45-34 edge. Haynes' first 3-pointer of the season pushed GM up 16 (50-34) with 10:32 remaining, but a banked-in triple from Davidson fueled a 14-4 Wildcat run which pulled the home team back within six (54-48) with 5:46 to play.
 
Bobby Durkin hit a 3-pointer for Davidson to push the Wildcats within three (60-57) with 31 seconds to go. Maddox went 2-for-2 from the line on the ensuing possession to extend the lead back to five (62-57) but Durkin was fouled with 10 seconds to go and made all three free throws to move Davidson within two (62-60). But O'Connor hit both clutch free throws and Davidson could not convert on the other end as GM iced the road win.
 
It's the Patriots' third-straight road win and third-straight victory in games decided by five points or less.
 
Next up, George Mason makes the short trip east on I-66 to play the second of two games vs. George Washington this season on Wednesday (Feb. 5). Tip-off in Foggy Bottom between the Patriots and Revolutionaries is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.