Kory Mincy scored 26 points, Jahari Long added 18, and the George Mason University men’s basketball team escaped Loyola-Maryland with a 86-79 win on Sunday afternoon.
The GMU men were back at EagleBank Arena, playing host to the Greyhounds of Loyola-Maryland. Looking to move to 11-1 on the year, this was an easy one on paper against the 337th-ranked KenPom team. But games aren’t played on paper.
Loyola came out ready to play, leading by as much as eight in the opening frame before taking a 40-35 lead into the break. The Patriots gave up far too many open looks on defense and struggled to hit shots, making only 12-of-29 field goal attempts in the first half.
Mason used an 11-0 run early in the second half to regain the lead, but Loyola would not go away, hitting back-to-back threes to take a 52-48 lead at the Under 12 timeout. The Patriots’ offense finally got going late, taking their largest lead of the afternoon at 71-64 with four minutes remaining.
It still wouldn’t be easy, especially after Loyola’s Jacob Theodosiou made a pair of triples in the final minute to bring the Greyhounds back within two. But Mincy executed at the foul line, going 7-for-8 in the final 41 seconds. His only miss, which was his first misfire since Mason’s season opener against Wofford, resulted in a Malik Presley offensive rebound that for all intents and purposes sealed the win.
Still, it’s hard to feel overly proud of a seven-point win in a game in which the Patriots were favored by 22. Head coach Tony Skinn felt the same way postgame.
“We’re not where we need to be defensively,” he said, which has become a repeated point of emphasis this season. “Giving up 79 points on our home floor is not who we are.”
Long, who scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, was a major difference-maker late for the Patriots. “I knew I couldn’t let it affect me,” he said of his 0-for-3 start.
Skinn also gave a shoutout to Stas Sivka, who brought energy with two blocks in his 14 minutes off the bench. “We don’t win this game without him.”
Fatt Hill missed the contest with an illness, per Skinn. Brayden O’Connor, who has been out with a foot injury since Mason’s season opener, was seen in warmups without his walking boot for the first time since he’s been sidelined.
Next up, the Patriots will host Penn next Sunday as they complete their non-conference slate.
