The George Mason University men’s basketball team ended their regular season with a decisive 86-57 victory over No. 25 Saint Louis on Saturday in Fairfax, Virginia. The Patriots, now 23-8 overall and 11-7 in conference play, held the Billikens—who came into the game averaging nearly 89 points per contest—to just 57 points.
George Mason’s defense limited Saint Louis to only 16.7 percent shooting from three-point range, well below their national-best average. This win marked the Patriots’ second home victory against a top-25 opponent under head coach Tony Skinn.
“This was the game we needed,” said Skinn. “It’s been a long season with a lot of ups and downs. There were some very early ups that I think set us up for a bad February. We needed to get punched in the mouth and I think we’ve found our way the last couple games. These guys had the sense of urgency we needed, against a really good team, to get our swagger back before heading to Pittsburgh.”
Jahari Long led George Mason with 21 points on 10-for-17 shooting, adding nine assists and committing just one turnover in nearly all forty minutes of play. He became only the second Patriot since 2004-05 to record at least 20 points and eight assists in one game.
Kory Mincy contributed with 15 points, five assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Nick Ellington and Emmanuel Kanga each recorded double-doubles; Ellington scored 13 points and grabbed ten rebounds while hitting his first career three-pointer, and Kanga added another 13 points alongside a personal best of eleven rebounds.
The Patriots forced an Atlantic 10 season-high ten steals from Saint Louis and converted those turnovers into a significant advantage on the scoreboard. George Mason finished ahead by twelve in points off turnovers (22-10) and remained undefeated this season when winning the turnover margin.
Offensively, George Mason shot nearly 58 percent from the field for the game—including more than seventy-three percent after halftime—against what had been one of college basketball’s top defensive teams.
After trailing midway through the first half, George Mason took control with a nine-point run before halftime and extended their lead with a dominant stretch early in the second half that put them up by as many as thirty-four points late in the game.
With this win—their twenty-third of the year—the Patriots secured their place as No. 5 seed for next week’s Atlantic 10 Championship tournament in Pittsburgh. They will face either the No.12 or No.13 seed on Thursday afternoon; coverage begins at two o’clock nationally on USA Network.
