Box Score (PDF)
PITTSBURGH – The George Mason University men's basketball team (22-7, 13-3 A-10) could not overcome a hot-shooting Duquesne (13-16, 8-8) squad in an 85-68 loss to the Dukes on Saturday afternoon inside UMPC Cooper Fieldhouse.
Duquesne hit 15 3-pointers on 31 attempts (.484) and shot 52.9 percent (27-51) overall from the floor. It marked the first time in the last 34 games a Patriot foe has shot more than 50 percent against the Green & Gold.
On the other end of the floor, George Mason committed a season-high 20 turnovers which led to 21 Duquesne points. The Dukes also turned nine offensive rebounds into a 12-2 edge in second chance points for the game.
Despite the loss, the Patriots hold the No. 2 spot in the Atlantic 10 standings (13-3) with two games to play in the regular season.
Senior
Jalen Haynes led the Patriots with 14 points (4-5 FG), seven rebounds and two assists, while senior
K.D. Johnson added 11 points and three steals. With his second steal of the game, he became the third Patriot in school history to reach 200 steals for his career.
Senior
Woody Newton chipped in 10 points in 21 minutes of work.
The Patriots committed six early turnovers, leading to eight Duquesne points and a 10-2 Duquesne advantage. The Dukes extended the edge to nine at 26-17, but the Patriots used a 7-0 spurt to move back within two (26-24). GMU extended the run to 13-3 to take the lead at 30-29. But Duquesne scored six of the final eight points of the half to take a 35-32 edge into halftime.
George Mason moved ahead by three at 41-38 after a
Zach Anderson 3-pointer at the 16:48 mark of the second half. With GMU ahead 45-42, the Dukes fired back with a 16-2 run to build a 58-47 advantage with 9:53 left.
With Duquesne ahead 69-53, GM rattled off a 7-0 run to get back within nine (69-60) with 4:43 left. But that's as close as the Patriots would get for the remainder of the game.
Duquesne's 15 3-pointers marked the most by a Patriot foe since Davidson hit 16 in an A-10 Quarterfinal game on March 5, 2021.
Next up, George Mason returns home to host La Salle for Senior Night on Wednesday (March 5). Tip-off between the Patriots and Explorers is set for 7 p.m. Prior to the contest, the program will honor its seven senior student-athletes and four senior student managers in a pregame ceremony.
