Breath out Mason Nation. Your boys are back on track, with a big 70-59 win over UMass last night at Eagle Bank Arena. The Patriots were led in scoring by Freshman Justyn Fernandez, who continued his improvement over the last couple of games into having the best game of his season so far. Fernandez went for 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist, and let me tell you folks, if you haven’t been to a game yet this year, you need to come to one to see Justyn in the open court. The energy rises every time he gets on a run, and it is legitimately one of the coolest things I’ve seen in my four years at Mason so far.
Josh Oduro added his usual contribution, with 16 points and nine rebounds, as he continues his A-10 first team level play. Victor Bailey Jr added 11 points off the bench, and Malik Henry and Ronald Polite had eight points each. DeVon Cooper added six points, but also eight assists.
UMass was limited on the night and struggled to create space for most of the second half. The Minutemen were led by TJ Weeks, who had 18 points, followed by their big man Wilden Leveque who had 12.
Mason returns to action Saturday afternoon, as they travel to Chicago to take on Loyola-Chicago for the second time this season. Mason beat the Ramblers 86-75 at EBA on January 7th earlier this year. This game is a national broadcast on USA, starting at 2:30 PM ET. Go green and Gold!
