Coming into the season George Mason and Saint Joseph’s were supposed to be two of the favorites in the Atlantic 10. While the first half of the season changed that tune for both squads, Mason surely showed that they are far superior to the Hawks in the conference opener.
George Mason (7-7, 1-0 A-10) blew out St. Joe’s 85-60 behind their best 3pt shooting night on the season on Thursday night.
The team shot 15-for-28 from deep, one shy of the team record, with six different players recording a 3pt basket. A 19-0 run by Mason in the second half opened up a previously close contest to give Mason the victory and to put the game on ice.
One player Saint Joseph’s really has to be tired of though is Ian Boyd. Last season he had the memorable ‘OH NO’ buzzer beater. To pick up where he left off, he tore up the Hawks. Scoring 15 points off the bench, which wasn’t even the most on the team, he opened up the flood gates in the second half.
Back-to-back 3pters by Boyd, with the later coming on a four-point play, pushed Mason to a 55-50 edge just before the team’s massive run. His presence on the court provided a huge spark and helped propel the team to a 30-5 bench point advantage.
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Justin Kier led the team with 18 points, including four 3pters which was a career-high. It also was his third double-double of the season, all in the last four games, with him bringing down 14 boards in the contest.
Three other players reached double figures on the night; Otis Livingston II (17), Goanar Mar (13) and Greg Calixte (10). For both Calixte and Mar they had their best offensive nights on the season.
It was also a big night for Livingston too.
Otis just passed him actually.
Otis Livingston’s career with Mason:
-Points (5th all-time)
-3pters (6th)
-Assists (2nd)#MasonRecords https://t.co/n878HP8oBn— Tyler Byrum (@theTylerByrum) January 4, 2019
The second half was not the only hot shooting performance for Mason. The game had quite the start. Five of Mason’s first nine shots were made 3pters. Before the first media timeout, Mason was 5-7 from 3pt range and only 1-2 inside of the arc.
From that point on the shooting diminished greatly. They finished the half 6-28 and missed their final 10 shots. Mason went to the half tied with the Hawks at 34.
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Everyone had a fantastic night for Mason except for one player. It was a terrible A-10 introduction for Jarred Reuter (0-7 FG) after head coach Dave Paulsen tabbed him with the potential to be one of the best players in the conference before the season started. Playing against a team that prefers to play with five players out near the arc, Reuter got beat on a handful of possessions. On top of that, the Hawks knew that Reuter only really attacks from his left side and their lanky 6-8 forwards just sat in the paint.
8 of Mason’s 9 players who have played tonight have scored. The lone exception is transfer Jarred Reuter (0-7).
— Tyler Byrum (@theTylerByrum) January 4, 2019
He got benched in the second half for the quicker Calixte who rose to the occasion.
If Mason is also going to be a shoot and run team like was seen tonight, Reuter is not the best option for the Patriots on the court.
Jaire Grayer missed his seventh straight contest and did not make the brief trip to Philadelphia. This should now be a legitimate concern for the Green and Gold. Steven Goff of the Washington Post pointed out that Grayer is eligible to redshirt this season, which if he does not play soon will likely be the best option for the senior.
Since Mason’s rough start they are now 5-2 in their last seven games and sit atop the Atlantic 10 standings. It’s still hard to tell if this is the team George Mason will be for the remainder of the season, but a road victory to start league play is a promising start on a season with high expectations.
