(FAIRFAX) – So, I’m guessing somebody on the team took my advice about taking advantage of the moment against a weakened George Washington team. Bravo to the Green & Gold for splitting the season series with George Washington with a dominant 90-67 win. For the first time in a couple of games, The Patriots put the pressure on the Revs from start to finish. In the first half alone, Mason scored a season-best 54 points and held a 27- point lead as well. Continuing that pressure from the first half, The Patriots grew the lead midway through the second to 39 points. This is a very impressive performance despite still missing potential All-10 candidate Darius Maddox still with an injury. What’s even more impressive is that in the last outing five players scored in double figures in the win as well. “Different guys stepped up to the plate. We came out with the first punch tonight the same way GW did in the game in DC. I’m glad we were able to return the favor and get back to .500 in league play.” Said Head Coach Tony Skinn. Like I said prior to GW game a week ago, utilizing a bench effectively with your starters would be a major factor in finishing the season strong. A great example of this is the late season breakout of freshman Baraka Okojie who is averaging 9.8 points, 3.4 assists, 2.3 steals and shooting 51.2 percent over Mason’s past eight games. He ranks third in the A-10 in steals in league play. In addition to Okojie’s outstanding league play, freshman guard Austin Ball is providing a spark off the bench as well. In the latest win against George Washington, Ball contributed 10 points off the bench going 4-7 from the field.
Good play off the bench plus taking control early is easier said than done against #16 Dayton which features A-10 Player of Year candidate DaRon Holmes II who currently leads the A-10 in scoring (20.0 ppg) and as well two other categories. As a team, The Flyers feature the nation’s 20th-ranked offense plus lead the A-10 in field goal percentage (.476). Additionally, the Flyers also rank eighth nationally in 3pt percentage (.390) and only commit just 9.5 turnovers/game (12th nationally). In other words, like every writer predicted, The A-10 would go through Dayton. Currently Dayton sits on top of the conference with an 11-2 record in conference play plus some notable wins in non-conference have them rightfully earning votes to be ranked. Now this isn’t something that the team and the Green & Gold faithful should be intimidated by. Despite Dayton holding a 10-5 record in the all-time series, the Patriots have won four of the past seven matchups, including each of the past two. Also, this Patriots team plays better at home, still holding one of the best home records in the conference at 12-2. The Patriots are averaging 78.2 points, shooting 49.8 percent, and hold a +6.8 average rebounding margin in home games this season.
While playing great at home is an excellent factor on why Mason can steal a signature conference win, however it isn’t the only factor. The Patriots have shown lately that applying the pressure through rebounding has been helping. In the last three games, Mason has outrebounded their opponent by an average of 10.7 and lead the A-10 in overall rebounding margin (+5.0). Against George Washington, The Green & Gold posted a +12 (42-30) rebounding margin against the Revs and improved to 16-3 when holding the rebounding edge this season. Keeping a high-octane offensive team like Dayton off the glass is leads to controlling more possessions and limiting second offensive opportunities. Additionally, the bench will once again play a major role in securing the win against the Flyers. In the past two games, Mason is averaging 29.0 bench points including an A-10 season-high 32 bench points against GW. If the bench can contribute similar numbers along with an excellent performance from players like Keyshawn Hall and Amari Kelly could not only bring a signature win for the Patriots but as well its first win at home against a ranked opponent in school history.
As the old saying goes “Pressure Makes Diamonds” but in this case pressure gives great conference wins.