Jahari Long scored all 14 of his points in the last ten minutes, Fatt Hill went 10-for-10 at the free throw line, and the George Mason University men’s basketball team beat VCU 86-80 to improve to 16-1 on the season.
It had been five years since the George Mason Patriots took down their bitter arch-rivals, and ten years since they did so at EagleBank Arena. That changed on Saturday, thanks to a statement performance during the second half from Tony Skinn‘s unit.
It was a physical, low-scoring contest early, with both teams trading the upper hand before VCU settled in with control for most of the frame. Offense began to pick up late in the first half, as the Patriots answered every blow with one of their own and took the lead right at 38-37 right before the break. Masai Troutman had 11 points for Mason at the intermission.
VCU began the second half on a 7-0 run, but once again, GMU showed great resilience to fight back and tie the score at 46. Then, after the Rams led 56-55 with just under ten minutes remaining, Long sparked a 16-6 run to ignite the Fairfax crowd.
From that point on, the lead would never be smaller than five. The Patriots executed at the foul line to put it away in the final minute, with Hill repeatedly knocking down shot after shot. The Ball State transfer is now 25-of-26 on free throws in the past three games.
The win represents a monumental milestone for a George Mason program that was in desperate need a signature victory. Two years ago, the Patriots beat a ranked Dayton opponent at home in the midst of a 20-win season, and that was the moment it was clear something special was on the horizon in Fairfax. This one feels even bigger — GMU was able to exorcise some long-standing demons against their bitter enemy, who defeated them in the Atlantic 10 title game last season.
“After our loss last year, I was ranting about the fact that we needed to play VCU twice a year,” Skinn stated postgame. “The league heard our call, and we answered that call today.”
Now at 16-1 and 4-0 in Atlantic 10 play, there’s no more chalking up Mason’s record to a product of a weak strength of schedule. “As much success as we had last year, as much as we talk about the Final Four team, I just want everyone to understand how special Team 60 is,” Skinn said of his squad.
Hill and Riley Allenspach each had 16 points for the Patriots, while Kory Mincy had 15 and Troutman finished with 13. The team shot 21-of-24 from the foul line and above 50 percent from the field, while turning the ball over only seven times. It was precisely the type of all-around team performance they needed, exactly when they needed it.
Next up, Mason will visit Loyola-Chicago on Tuesday. The Patriots’ next home game will be on Monday, January 19 when they host George Washington.
