FAIRFAX, Va. – In a matchup that was worthy of two of the top teams in the Atlantic 10, the Saint Joseph's Hawks were outlasted by the George Mason Patriots 58-57 on Saturday afternoon.
BY THE NUMBERS
HOW IT HAPPENED
- St. Joe's jumped out quickly, making five of its first seven shots on its way to an 11-6 lead 4:28 into the contest.
- After a bucket by the Patriots, back-to-back-to-back threes from Reynolds, Fleming and Brown sprinted the Hawks to a 20-8 advantage, forcing a timeout by GM.
- The trio of triples was just the beginning for Fleming, who connected on three of his own in the opening 15 minutes as SJU went on top 32-16 with 4:43 to go in the opening stanza.
- George Mason made some noise in the waning moments of the half, but the Hawks were able to hold the Patriots at a distance and took a 37-26 lead into intermission.
- As well as the first half started for Saint Joseph's, the second half opened poorly as GM scored the first 12 points of the frame and netted 17 in a row bridging halftime, as the Patriots took a brief lead before a Derek Simpson free throw tied the game at 38-38 t the 14:54 mark.
- Undaunted, the free throw ignited an 8-0 run for the Hawks as St. Joe's turned up the defense. Forcing a pair of George Mason turnovers, layups by Simpson and Brown led up to a three by Reynolds as SJU went back up 45-38 with 10:32 to go.
- The conference-leading Patriots responded, taking a 51-49 lead at the 4:32 mark, using a 10-0 run.
- The heavyweight battle that ensued in the final moments saw the lead change hands four times.
- SJU responded on defense as Simpson came up with a big block giving the Hawks the ball with a chance to win, but the final shot rimmed out with a second remaining.
UP NEXT
The Hawks make the trip back to Washington, D.C. metro area to face the George Washington Revolutionaries on Wednesday, February 19. Tipoff from the Charles E. Smith Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
