Following a rough loss at Duquesne on Saturday, the George Mason University men’s basketball team returned home for Senior Night on Wednesday as the Patriots hosted La Salle. It would be a prime “get right” opportunity against an Explorers team ranked near the bottom of the Atlantic 10, and Mason desperately needed one after two defeats in its last three contests erased any hope of an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
After honoring all seven seniors on the Patriots’ roster, Jalen Haynes got the home team on the board with a tip-in on the opening possession. But La Salle came to play, taking an early 12-4 lead thanks to some hot three-point shooting and then going ahead 22-12 just past the midway point of the first half after Mason had gotten back within two. The Patriots regrouped, even making a pair of threes courtesy of Darius Maddox and Brayden O’Connor, but still went into halftime trailing 26-33.
The second half got off to a much better start, as Maddox hit a few big shots and a Haynes fast break layup capped off a quick 10-1 Mason run to give the Patriots their first lead since it was 2-0. The Explorers tied it up at the free throw line, but another nine straight from GMU ensued, including a four-point possession after La Salle’s Jahlil White was assessed a technical foul. The road team continued to hang around, quickly closing back within 44-47 and staying within a possession or two for most of the rest of the way, but they would never regain the upper hand. O’Connor made a tough layup inside the final two minutes to put the Patriots up 63-58 and then scored Mason’s final six points of the game at the free throw line, as GMU escaped with the 69-62 victory.
The junior from Canada had a career night, scoring 26 points to lead the way while Haynes had 22 and 10 rebounds. Maddox additionally chipped in with 17, as the three of them combined for all but four of Mason’s points. The Patriots shot 14 of 15 from the free throw line, and with the win, they completed an undefeated season at home in Atlantic 10 play.
Head coach Tony Skinn opened his presser by giving credit to La Salle and Fran Dunphy, who’ll be retiring after the season concludes. On the win, he admitted that it wasn’t pretty, but ultimately noted “If you told me at the start of the year we’d be 9-0 at home, I’d take it.”
Mason will now close out its regular season on the road at Richmond this Saturday. Likely to finish runner-up in the final Atlantic 10 standings, the Patriots will then await their first opponent in conference tournament play.
