After a gritty win last weekend against Loyola Maryland, the 8-2 George Mason Patriots welcomed the Eagles of Bridgewater College to town on Tuesday night in a rare matchup against non-Division I competition. The Patriots would be undermanned for this one as two starters, Amari Kelly and Darius Maddox, were both missing from the lineup, as was key reserve Malik Henry. On the positive side, this provided a great opportunity for Mason to show off its impressive depth.
It also provided a chance for Keyshawn Hall, the Patriots’ leading scorer and rebounder, to be a one-man wrecking crew offensively – and that he was, scoring 18 of Mason’s first 20 points. However, Bridgewater came out with nothing to lose and even briefly led early in the going by as much as three before a 12-2 run put the home team ahead 28-21. The Patriots were able to expand their lead to 41-26 by halftime, with Hall accounting for 27 of those points as he outscored Bridgewater by himself.
The Eagles kept on fighting as they cut the lead back within single digits at 45-36, but that was the closest they’d get, as they were simply no match for Hall. The UNLV transfer’s dominant night continued as he finished with a career-high 36 points on highly efficient 15 of 18 shooting, while also corralling 12 rebounds. Things got a bit chippy late in the action, with a parade to the free throw line for both teams, but the Patriots slowly pulled away en route to a 84-60 victory as they improved to 9-2 on the year.
Head coach Tony Skinn was impressed with his shorthanded squad’s ability to fight through adversity, and made sure not to overlook his opponent. “It doesn’t matter if they’re D-II, D-III, NAIA… these are college basketball players, and they’re going to fight,” he said of Bridgewater.
In addition to Hall’s big night, Baraka Okojie chipped in with 17 points after earning a starting nod, while Woody Newton had an impressive five blocked shots. The Patriots will face a tough test at Tulane when they return to the court this Friday.