WASHINGTON - The George Mason University men's basketball team (25-7) dominated the second half during a historic 80-65 victory over George Washington (21-12) Friday night in A-10 Quarterfinal action.
Before a raucous Mason Nation crowd inside Capital One Arena, the Patriots outscored the Revolutionaries 42-23 in the second half to advance to the Atlantic 10 semifinals for the first time in the program's 12 seasons in the league.
The victory also pushed George Mason to 25 wins for just the third time in the program's 59-year history.
George Washington hit seven 3-pointers and led 42-38 at halftime. But Patriot Pressure went high octane in the second half as the Patriots held GW to just 23.1 percent (6-26) in the period and 2-of-12 (.167) from 3pt range.
George Mason held a sizable 40-22 advantage in points in the paint, led by a supreme performance from senior
Jalen Haynes. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., product poured in a game-high 24 points (10-17 FG) to go with five rebounds in 28 minutes. The scoring output was just two points off the GMU record for points in an A-10 Tournament game.
Senior
Jared Billups added a season-high 18 points (6-6 FG, 2-2 3pt) to go with seven rebounds. He also tied his career best with a momentum-shifting five steals. His 18 points marked a personal best over his two seasons at George Mason.
Senior
Darius Maddox added 11 points while senior
K.D. Johnson tallied 11 points and a game-high five assists. Junior
Brayden O'Connor added 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes.
The Revolutionaries hit their first three triples to build an early 15-11 advantage. The Patriots responded with a 10-2 spurt to build a 21-17 lead at the 9:04 mark of the first half. GW moved back in front by five (34-29) on the strength of an 8-2 run and took a 42-38 edge into the break.
The Patriots rocketed out of the second half with a commanding 14-2 run to build a 54-44 lead with 13:28 to go. Then, GMU utilized another 8-0 spurt, capped by a Billups 3-pointer, to go up 18 (66-48) with 7:31 to go. The Revs could not move closer than 10 (68-58) for the remainder of the contest.
George Mason forced 15 GW turnovers in the game and tallied a season-best 12 steals.
Next up, George Mason advances to the Saturday semifinals at 3:30 p.m. vs. the winner of the quarterfinal between No. 3 Dayton and No. 6 Saint Joseph's. The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
