By Palmer Johnson
Mason blew out North Carolina A&T 94 to 69 to finish out-of-conference play with a record of 11-2.
The Aggies truly had no answer to Mason’s inside offense, as Mason shot 77.7% from two this game.
Malik Henry returned to action for the first time since the Tennessee game due to a personal matter. Henry got loud cheers when he entered the game. Good job, Mason Nation. Malik had to play extended minutes due to Amari Kelly fouling out. He ended up with 8 points on 3-5 from the field and 4 rebounds. The experienced senior did a great job of not fouling late when he was the only eligible big man on the roster.
*Cues the Mutombo finger wag*@malikhenry_35 | #PatriotPressure pic.twitter.com/FxGTlB7w6h
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) December 30, 2023
He is electric. Malik gets EagleBank on their feet at least once a game. Welcome back.
Kam Johnson got some playing time at the end and hit his first career three.
First career 3 Ball for Kam!@shiftykam21 | #PatriotPressure pic.twitter.com/wqiM0bGgtM
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) December 30, 2023
After the game, it was announced that Kam had earned the scholarship spot that opened up. Good for him.
Coach Skinn had a special message for Kam postgame … pic.twitter.com/WAiEuM0eW1
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) December 30, 2023
Keyshawn Hall was targeted early, with the guy he was guarding, Jeremy Robinson, scoring 8 points on four shots before the first media timeout. For the rest of the first half, he didn’t do much offensively, but came out blazing in the second half, scoring all 18 of his points after the break. Along with his scoring, he got 7 boards.
Euro in transition 😮💨@xkeyy2 | #PatriotPressure pic.twitter.com/hEFrgZ4LCV
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) December 30, 2023
We got another good Ronald Polite game, the second one in a row. He now has back-to-back KenPom MVPs. Polite scored 15 on 4-7 shooting from the field while facilitating the offense pretty well. We’re seeing aggressive Ronny a lot more now, I hope that continues into conference play.
We love corner 3s in transition.@ronnypolite | #PatriotPressure pic.twitter.com/bT1VlVDRQO
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) December 30, 2023
Baraka Okojie had another impressive game. He only ended up with 6 points, but had another game where he shot the same amount of free throws as field goals. Okojie drew four fouls, which seems like the low end of what he normally draws. The freshman also played great defense, as he normally does.
Baraka in a BLUR ⏩@baraka_okojie | #PatriotPressure pic.twitter.com/e6GGJZ8Spw
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) December 30, 2023
This is not a freshman move.
Darius Maddox contributed as usual, getting 15 points on 4-8 from the field, while going 6-6 from the line.
Darius is EVERYWHERE.#PatriotPressure pic.twitter.com/47tKkyMCPp
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) December 30, 2023
It’s crazy how much Amari Kelly has outperformed his expectations. Kelly ended up with 14 on 7-8 shooting, and it feels like just another game for him. Along with his efficient scoring, he played outstanding defense, as usual.
Throw it down, Amari!@AmariKelly12 | #PatriotPressure pic.twitter.com/WnFKUKSqVE
— George Mason Men's Basketball (@MasonMBB) December 30, 2023
This was the out-of-conference finale for Mason. Now they move on to conference play against La Salle. WOO HOO!