FAIRFAX, Va. — George Mason delivered exactly the performance it needed Saturday.
With Saint Louis already headed to the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens next weekend, the Patriots entered the regular-season finale knowing their situation is far different: if they want to hear their name called on Selection Sunday, they will need to win four games in four days at the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Pittsburgh.
Based on what happened inside EagleBank Arena, that possibility suddenly doesn’t look so far-fetched.
Before a raucous crowd of 6,461 fans, Mason turned in arguably its most complete performance of the season, overwhelming No. 25 Saint Louis 86-57 on Senior Night. The Patriots controlled the game on both ends of the floor and delivered the largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent in school history.
“This was the game we needed,” Mason head coach Tony Skinn said afterward. “It’s been a long season with a lot of ups and downs. There were some very early ups that I think set us up for a bad February. We needed to get punched in the mouth and I think we’ve found our way the last couple games. These guys had the sense of urgency we needed, against a really good team, to get our swagger back before heading to Pittsburgh.”
The Patriots (23-8, 11-7 Atlantic 10) backed up that urgency with a dominant defensive performance. Mason held the Billikens’ high-powered offense — which entered averaging 88.8 points per game — to 31 points below its season average and limited the nation’s top 3-point shooting team (.412 entering the game) to just 16.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Jahari Long orchestrated the offense with one of the most efficient point-guard performances in recent Mason memory. Long finished with 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting, adding nine assists and just one turnover in 38 minutes. He joins Otis Livingston II as the only Mason players since 2004-05 to record at least 20 points and eight assists in a game.
Kory Mincy continued his strong stretch with 15 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals.
Inside, Nick Ellington and Emmanuel Kanga dominated the glass. Ellington recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds and even knocked down the first three-pointer of his career, while Kanga added his first collegiate double-double with 13 points and a career-best 11 rebounds.
Mason’s energy on defense fueled the blowout. The Patriots swarmed Saint Louis all afternoon, posting an A-10 season-high 10 steals and converting turnovers into a decisive 22-10 advantage in points off turnovers. Mason is now a perfect 15-0 this season when winning the turnover battle.
The Patriots shot 57.6 percent overall against Saint Louis’ top-50 defense and were nearly unstoppable in the second half, connecting on 73.1 percent of their shots.
The game turned midway through the first half. Saint Louis briefly led 23-20 with 10:22 remaining before Mason ripped off a 9-0 run to take control. The Patriots carried a 43-34 lead into halftime.
Any hopes of a Billikens comeback disappeared early in the second half when Mason exploded on a 21-3 run that stretched the lead to 66-39 with just under 10 minutes remaining. The advantage ballooned to 30 points with 6:36 left and eventually reached 34.
For Mason, it marked the program’s 23rd win — only the seventh time in the school’s 60-year history the Patriots have reached that mark. It also improved the Patriots to 2-0 at home against top-25 teams under Skinn.
Now the focus shifts to Pittsburgh.
George Mason enters the Atlantic 10 Championship as the No. 5 seed and will open tournament play Thursday at 2 p.m. against the winner of Wednesday’s No. 12 vs. No. 13 matchup.
The mission is clear: four wins in four days.
But after Saturday’s performance in Fairfax, the Patriots head into the tournament with something they had been searching for much of the past month.
Their swagger.
