Defense Powers George Mason Past UMass, 70-59
The George Mason University men’s basketball team (13-10, 5-5) returned to defensive form in a 70-59 triumph over Massachusetts (13-9, 4-6) Wednesday night inside EagleBank Arena.
The Patriots locked down UMass to just 36.9 percent shooting (24-65) – a season low for a Mason A-10 foe this season – and a 23.1 percent mark (6-26) from 3pt range.
The Patriots also enjoyed a breakout performance from freshman Justyn Fernandez, who tallied a career-best 18 points (5-8 FG), hit 3-of-4 3pt attempts and grabbed five rebounds to go along with two steals in 28 minutes on the floor.
“This was a good win for our group, just to get off the mini schneid,” head coach Kim English said. “We’ve been focusing on how hard we play and how disciplined we play. There is always room to grow in those areas, but we had some really good moments tonight.”
Senior Josh Oduro added 15 points (6-9 FG) and nine rebounds in 31 minutes, while graduate guard Victor Bailey Jr. notched 11 points (3-6 3pt FG) and four rebounds.
Graduate guard DeVon Cooper dished out a personal-best eight assists on the night and in the process, reached the 300-assist milestone for his career.
Junior forward Malik Henry chipped in eight points (4-5 FG) and six rebounds in his second-straight start.
The Patriots shot 48.1 percent (25-52) for the game and made seven 3-pointers. Fueled by Fernandez’s athleticism, Mason also held a 13-7 edge in fastbreak points for the game.
Mason led 31-28 at the half, but stormed out of the break on an 8-2 run to go up 39-30 at the 17:18 mark. UMass answered back to retake the lead at 44-43, but an 8-0 spurt from Mason, capped by a Fernandez triple, pushed the Patriots back in front 51-44 with 6:36 to go.
The Patriots extended the lead to 13 (64-51) with 2:52 remaining and cruised from there.
George Mason hits the road for its first ever trip to Loyola Chicago. The Patriots and Ramblers will match up on Saturday (Feb. 4) at 2:30 p.m. (ET). The game will be broadcast nationally on USA Network.
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