Patriots Edged by St. Bonaventure in Olean, 73-69

Patriots Edged by St. Bonaventure in Olean, 73-69 | https://gomason.com/

By Press release submission

Jan 6, 2023

Patriots Edged by St. Bonaventure in Olean, 73-69

The George Mason University men's basketball team had late chances to win in one of the A-10's most formidable venues but came up just short, falling 73-69 to St. Bonaventure Wednesday night inside the Reilly Center.

Mason trailed by one (68-67) with 2:10 to play, but the Bonnies scored on the next two possessions to build a 73-67 lead with 46 seconds remaining.

St. Bonaventure, which owns a 51-11 record in the Reilly Center since 2015-16, put together a strong offensive effort in the second half to take the home victory.

"This is a very disappointing outcome but it's one that was deserved," head coach Kim English said. "We gave up 52 percent field goal defense for the game and 66 percent in the second half. When you let other players take the ball from you nine times, you don't deserve to win. There's a recipe of what it takes to win on the road. Ball security and defense are two ingredients. We didn't do that at all."

Graduate guard Victor Bailey Jr. led the Green & Gold with a team-high 21 points (7-8 FG, 3-4 3pt FG) while dishing out three assists in 36 minutes on the floor. It marked his third game with 20+ points this season.

Senior forward Josh Oduro added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists, while junior point guard Ronald Polite III tallied his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He also dished out five assists in 28 minutes.

St. Bonaventure used nine steals to get out and run, where the team held a 17-0 edge in fastbreak points for the game. The Bonnies also were +8 (28-20) in points in the paint.

Mason dished out 16 assists on 23 field goals and held a 30-29 edge on the glass. The Patriots shot 38.1 percent (8-21) from 3pt range and made 23-of-55 attempts overall (.418).

George Mason jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and held SBU to just 1-of-7 from the floor to start the contest. The Bonnies used a 10-3 spurt to tie it up at 10-10 and the game featured three more lead changes over the next five minutes.

The Patriots used an 8-0 run to build a 25-17 lead with 6:05 to go in the stanza, but the Bonnies closed the half on a 16-4 run to take a 33-29 edge into the break.

Mason moved within three (40-37) early in the second half, but the Bonnies rattled off a 9-3 spurt to go up nine at 49-40.

SBU extended the lead to 11 (61-51) with 10:11 to play, but Mason moved back within six (65-59) with 6:05 to go. Back-to-back buckets from Bailey J. got the Patriots back within one (65-64) and Mason trailed by that margin (68-67) with 2:10 left.

SBU moved back within six (73-67) with 46 seconds left. Mason cut it to four (73-69), but after the Bonnies missed the front end of a one-and-one, the Patriots could not convert on the other end.

Daryl Banks III led St. Bonaventure with a game-high 27 points (8-14 FG).

George Mason now returns home for its first ever matchup with new A-10 member Loyola Chicago. The Patriots host the Ramblers on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will air on MASN2 and ESPN+.