After giving up a 10-point second-half lead, the Colonials escaped with a 76–70 victory at George Mason Sunday afternoon.
The Patriots, just 1‒6 in Atlantic 10 play entering the contest, battled all game long in front of a raucous EagleBank Arena crowd, hitting 25 field goals to GW’s 20 and winning the on the boards 47–42.
But GW, with a veteran lineup up against a Mason squad that starts three freshmen, had its experience on display late.
Senior forward Kevin Larsen sank two crucial free throws and put back a missed layup on the next offensive possession to regain a 65‒61 lead in the game’s final minutes that his team would not surrender.
“[George Mason] made a run and I thought we responded,” redshirt junior forward Tyler Cavanaugh, who posted 15 points and 8 rebounds Sunday, said. “We’ve got good senior leadership and we made the plays down the stretch.”
Senior swingman Patricio Garino led four GW starters who posted double-digit scoring numbers with 19 points, while Larsen added a team-best 11 rebounds en route to his eighth double-double this season.
Once again, GW’s free throw shooting proved pivotal. The team scored nearly 40 percent of its points at the line, going 30-for-36 from the stripe on the day.
“Everyone is making free throws, that’s the confidence of the team,” Garino said. “We know that if we go hard to the rim and get fouled we’re going to get two points.”
GW (16‒5, 5-3 A-10) came out strong, with Cavanaugh knocking down a triple on his team’s first possession. He and Garino would lead the Colonials with nine points each in the frame.
The Colonials jumped to an early 17–11 lead behind good shooting, but their efficiency quickly began to stagnate. The visitors went a subpar 25.7 percent from the field, but George Mason (7–14, 1-7 A-10) wasn’t much better, posting a 26.5 percent clip in the half.
Freshman guard Jordan Roland provided a spark off the bench, netting five points, the only production off the pine in the first half.
But the Patriots battled back with a strong rebounding effort, grabbing 31 boards to GW’s 22 in the first period, and got 10 points on 12 trips to the free throw line.
Freshman guard Otis Livingston II led the charge with two threes and 10 points. Both squads went 3-for-10 from beyond the arc in the frame, but George Mason would prevail on the scoreboard, taking a 31–29 lead into halftime.
Back-to-back three-pointers from graduate student guard Alex Mitola, who led the bench on the day with eight points was part of a 10–0 GW run to open the second half.
“I think we attacked much better in the second half,” Cavanaugh said. “Alex [Mitola] stepped up big and made a couple threes and we don’t win the game without him.”
But like they did all day, George Mason bounced right back.
The Patriots shot 48.5 percent from the field and hit four critical threes in the second frame which allowed them to capture a 61–59 late-game edge.
But the Colonials refused to be rattled. Senior guard Joe McDonald, who finished with five points and three rebounds, drew a foul and hit two at the line to tie the game at 61.
Twenty-two second-half free throws would win the day as GW held on for a bounce back win to move to 16–5.
“Thank God we’re experienced because Mason did a great job and we didn’t play well offensively,” head coach Mike Lonergan said. “But when we’re struggling, we get to the free throw line, that’s what we do and we made them pay.”
The Colonials return home Wednesday to host Davidson at 7 p.m.
