Box Score (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason University men's basketball team (21-5, 12-1) has 12 Atlantic 10 wins for the first time in program history after completing a memorable home comeback vs. Saint Joseph's (15-10, 6-6) Saturday.
 
Before a raucous crowd of 5,219 inside EagleBank Arena, the Patriots trailed by 16 points (37-21) with 2:54 to go in the first half and entered the break down 11 (37-26). But GM opened the second half on a 12-0 spurt take a 38-37 lead, then hung on late to win the team's 11^th-straight game.
 
The 11-game win streak is tied for the second longest in George Mason history and also is tied for the third-longest current streak in the nation this season.
 
GM maintains its one-game lead over VCU for first place in the A-10 heading into a showdown with the Rams next Saturday (Feb. 22) in Richmond.
 
"For the first 20 minutes of that game, I thought we were going to give it away," head coach Tony Skinn ('06) said. "This was a phenomenal game. I thought these guys showed the resilience they've shown all season. To come out in the second half and only allow 20 points, that's indicative of who they are. They deserve all the credit down the stretch. I don't care how you get it. I'll take it."
 
The Patriots held a 32-20 scoring edge in the second half and limited the Hawks to just 33.3 percent (7-21) shooting in the stanza. During the comeback, GM held SJU to scoring droughts of 4:28, 4:08 and 8:00.
 
Senior Jalen Haynes led the Green & Gold with a monster 22-point effort (8-16 FG). He also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out two assists. It marked the third 20+ point effort for Haynes this season, who scored 16 of his points in the second half.
 
Senior K.D. Johnson added nine points and four rebounds, while playing tremendous defense during the second-half comeback. Junior Brayden O'Connor chipped in eight points and four assists, while senior Jared Billups nabbed a career-best five steals to go along with five points and six rebounds.
 
Trailing 37-26 at the half, GM used that 12-0 run – including 10 points from Haynes – to go up one (38-37) at the 15:12 mark. The Hawks stormed back with an 8-0 run to retake seven-point lead (45-38) with 13:23 to go.
 
The Hawks got it to nine (49-40) with 8:47 left, but at that point, GM stormed back with an 11-0 spurt, capped by a Haynes finish, to build a 51-49 edge at the 4:43 mark. An Erik Reynolds II triple pushed the Hawks back up 52-51, but five-straight from the home team propelled Mason up 56-52 with 2:43 left.
 
Five-straight from SJU again moved the Hawks back up (57-56) with 1:35 remaining, but Brayden O'Connor hit a jumper with 1:18 left to put GM up 58-57 and the Hawks could not score on their final possession to help the Patriots escape with the win.
 
GM has now tied the program record for home wins in a season (15) has reached 21 overall victories for the first time since 2011-12. The Patriots also have won their first seven A-10 home games for the first time in school history.
 
Next up, George Mason heads to VCU for a Saturday showdown inside the Siegel Center. Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is set for 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on USA Network.