Jahari Long scored 25 points, Kory Mincy added 19, and the George Mason University men’s basketball team only missed one three-pointer en route to defeating Division II Catawba College 86-62.
The GMU men were back in action on Friday night, playing host to one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s premier Division II programs. Despite the difference in competition level, the Patriots wouldn’t be able to take their opponent lightly, especially with Brayden O’Connor, Masai Troutman, and Fatt Hill all still out of the lineup due to various injuries.
Catawba came out fighting hard and took a 23-19 lead after trailing 16-9. The Patriots struggled to take care of the ball against the Indians’ aggressive press defense, and they were kept humble for most of the first half before taking a 38-31 lead into the break. Long had 18 points in the frame to keep the home team afloat, going 11-of-12 at the free throw line.
The Indians closed to within 42-40 early in the second half, but Mason used a 22-5 run to put some distance on the opposition. Catawba’s energy could only take them so far, and the Patriots pulled away to the win by a final margin of 86-62.
Five Patriots scored in double figures, with Long and Mincy being joined by Stas Sivka (11), Malik Presley (10), and Riley Allenspach (10). Mason went 7-of-8 from three-point range and 29-of-33 from the foul line.
Despite what became a comfortable victory by the time the clock hit zeroes, head coach Tony Skinn had some honest comments to air out in the postgame press room. “Credit to Catawba, we knew their press was going to cause some problems,” he said. “But we’ve got to get these guys on the same page with who we are as a program. We’ve got to get tougher.”
The Patriots had 21 turnovers in the win, a prime source of frustration. 12 of them came in the first half.
For Skinn, the result marked his 50th career win, making him the fastest coach in Mason men’s history to reach the milestone. However, he was unmoved. “Let me know when I’ve hit 100,” he commented.
Next up, GMU will host New Hampshire this Saturday.
