On Sunday, George Mason (11-3, 0-1) faced VCU (12-3, 2-0) in the first game of their A-10 Conference schedule.
No shocker here. VCU exploited all of our weaknesses and held strong against our drives to the basket.
The first half started just ok for the Patriots, they stayed with the Rams till about the 6-minute mark. Then the gates opened for the VCU, they went on a 12-4 run taking complete control of the game. Mason shot poorly around the perimeter and could not drive the basket, the Rams held strong.
Halftime: VCU 33, George Mason 22
Rams starting to turn it on the final six minutes or so. George Mason is struggling on offense to say the least. The Patriots are 2-13 (15.4%) on three point attempts.
— A10 Talk (@A10Talk) January 5, 2020
The Patriots finished the half scoring only 22 points, going 10-33 (30%) from the floor, 2-13 (15%) from three, and recorded 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 turnovers. Mason also went 4-8 on layups and scored only 2 points off 8 VCU turnovers.
Also,
Zero FT attempts in that first half is a big problem for Mason
— Ryan Kish (@gmuhoops) January 5, 2020
In the second half, not much changed.
George Mason scored 37 points, going 11-23 from the field, 4-10 from three, and recorded 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 7 turnovers.
For VCU, they scored 39 points, going 12-27 from the field, 3-9 from three, and recorded 20 rebounds, 6 assists, and 10 turnovers.
GEORGE MASON FALLS 72-59 to VCU
Some things from this one:
The Patriots were out-rebounded in this one by a count of 40-25. That’s not good at all; a must fix for this Paulsen squad.
AJ Wilson got into foul trouble early in this game and the Patriots never recovered. He failed to score any points but had a defensive presence while he was in. AJ Wilson – Foul Trouble + Lots of Points = A Happy Dave Paulsen (and Mason W)
Jordan Miller played well in this one, he finished with a couple of drives to the basket. He went 4-10 from the field, 0-1 from three, totaling 11 points, and recorded only 3 rebounds. Not the best night for the sophomore.
Jamal Hartwell made an insane shot in the first half, here it is:
One way to get it done, @jamalhartwell_ 🤷♂️#GetPatriotic | #MasonNation pic.twitter.com/aKYAyHOJ7b
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) January 5, 2020
Javon Greene played on both sides of the court today. He finished this game going 3-11 from the floor, 2-5 from behind the arc, leading the team in points with 13, and recorded 3 rebounds and 4 assists. He’s one of the more underrated players on this team.
I've been a fan of @_javon23 since he came to Mason but I have no idea why people aren't talking about him more
He's second on the team in points and rebounds and first in assists and steals
That's something worthy of discussion
— Natalie Heavren (@NatalieHeavren) January 5, 2020
Greene continues to be one of the more complete players on this squad.
The Patriots defense crumbled in the latter part of the second half, allowing too many points in the paint and easy drives to the basket. Not a winning formula for Mason.
This is the first time this season that the Patriots have lost back-to-back games. The Patriots need to bounce back and play well against the Bona’s on Wednesday. Paulsen’s squad has a history of only winning one of their first three conference games (The only exception was 2018-19).
