Fairfax, Va. — January 18 was a big day for DMV sports fans, as the Washington Commanders and Washington Capitals both won, but the best game of the day was played between the George Mason and George Washington University men’s basketball teams. The Revolutionaries had a 10-point lead halfway through the second half, but the Patriots fought back. After sending the game to double overtime, George Mason pulled off the comeback, winning 80-77 in front of a rowdy crowd at EagleBank Arena.
“That was a phenomenal atmosphere and a phenomenal college basketball game,” George Mason head coach Tony Skinn said. “Shout out to Mason Nation—they brought the energy tonight. We don’t win that game without them. Early on in some of the games that we’ve won, we set the tone, but for about 28 to 30 minutes tonight, we didn’t make that choice.”
With the win, George Mason moved into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic-10 Conference. Also, the Patriots moved to 12-1 at home this season—the only loss being Central Michigan in November—and have won 12 of their last 14 games.
George Mason senior forward Jalen Haynes (17 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist) and senior guard Darius Maddox (17 points, 6 rebounds) both had a game-high 17 points. Haynes fouled out late in the second half, leading to more inexperienced Patriots having to fill his shoes. Senior guard Jared Billups (8 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals) grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds to go with 8 points. Senior guard K.D. Johnson (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) logged heavier minutes, producing 15 points.
“They guys were doing everything we’re asking for as a coaching staff,” Skinn said. “I’ve got to give credit to GW. That was a phenomenal, phenomenal game.”
The Patriots defense held George Washington to only 39.1% on their field goal attempts and a 6-of-27 mark from three-point range. Redshirt freshman guard Christian Jones (16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) compiled a team-high 16 points, while sophomore guard Trey Autry and redshirt sophomore forward Darren Buchanan Jr. both had 15 points for the Revolutionaries.
“I’m proud of my group,” George Washington head coach Chris Caputo said. “I’m proud of my guys coming off a tough game against Duquesne. What’s most disappointing is we got fouled on the last play three times in the first overtime, and there’s no calls in a very physical game. You need other people to do their job. My players did their job, my staff did their job, everybody’s got to be doing their job in crunch time.”
Jones opened the scoring with a layup, but the start of the first half was dominated by George Mason. The “Patriot Pressure” forced turnovers, and a Johnson layup and free throws by junior forward Gio Emejuru (7 points, 3 blocks, 2 rebounds) gave GMU a 19-9 lead halfway through the first frame.
However, George Washington delivered a 8-0 scoring run in less than two minutes to keep the game close. After a Haynes jumper, George Washington graduate forward Sean Hansen (9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) knocked down a three, then Buchanan Jr. made another to give GW a 23-21 lead.
A layup by George Mason junior guard Brayden O’Connor (10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) with three minutes left in the first half made it a 28-27 deficit for the Patriots. However, George Washington increased their lead to 35-29 when the buzzer sounded.
Extended scoring droughts hurt George Mason in the first half. The Patriots only shot 39% from the field, while commiting 8 turnovers.
“[George Washington] is playing a lot different than they did last year,” Skinn said. “They press you full court, they’re slowing you down and they’re switching everything. They’ve got a mobile five man and so they’re taking you out of their offense. That’s what is making them pretty good over the last couple of games.”
After slow shooting starts by both teams at the start of the second half, George Washington went on a 7-0 run in a minute, increasing their lead to 46-36, forcing a George Mason timeout, and bringing the fans from across the Potomac River to their feet.
“In the huddle, I’m just telling these guys one stop at a time,” Billups said. “That’s the only way we’re going to get back. It was one stop at a time. It allowed us to have that energy to come back.”
Not to be deterred, a couple minutes later George Mason responded with a 7-0 scoring run to decrease the lead to 52-50. A driving layup by O’Connor brought the home fans into a frenzy. Then, after the George Washington timeout, Haynes made a layup to tie the game at 52-52.
“I had to pick up [the energy]in the second half,” Johnson said. “Jared [Billups] started off the first half with a ton of energy, and we couldn’t leave him out there by himself. I had to help my teammates and get it going for us.”
After back-and-forth shots by both teams, George Washington could not increase their lead by more than two points. With three minutes left in the game, Billups made a jumper to give George Mason a 60-58 lead.
A free throw by George Washington redshirt junior forward Rafael Castro (12 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks) put GW ahead 61-60, but Johnson got to the free-throw line on the other end of the court. Johnson made the second attempt after missing the first to tie the game at 61. However, Johnson fouled Castro on the next possession with one second left. Castro stepped up to the line, and he missed both free throws, sending the game into overtime.
“It sucks for Rafael [Castro],” Caputo said. “It would have been nice to make those and end the game here in regulation, but I thought it was great that he made the two free throws to send it to double overtime. You can’t overcome that and just try to win another overtime, [George Mason] is too good.”
George Mason started overtime by going up 65-61 after a dunk by Emejuru. However, the Revolutionaries made key shots and started to hit their free throws tying the game, 67-67. Johnson got back to the charity stripe, knocking down both attempts, but the same costly mistake happened. Castro got fouled by Johnson. Castro stepped up to the line and made both free throws to tie the game at 69 and give the fans another overtime period.
Tiredness showed on players faces, however, determination persevered. This time George Mason was able to hold onto their lead after a dunk by Emejuru gave the Patriots a 78-74 lead. George Washington was not able to find anyone on their inbounds pass after two free throws by Billups, giving GMU a 80-77 win in double overtime.
George Mason (5-1 A-10, 14-5) travels to New York to take on St. Bonaventure on January 21. George Washington (2-3 A-10, 13-5) travels even further to UMass in Amherst, Massachusetts on January 22.
“We’re playing a game of separation right now in conference play,” Skinn said. “That was a good one for us and a tough one for GW, but we go to St. Bonaventure in 48 hours. I’ll be able to reflect on this game, but the basketball gods were on our side this time. We had a chance to lay down, but we’re learning all sorts of different lessons in these games, and hopefully, we’ll continue to trend up.”