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| Kethan Savage (#11) led GW with 6 rebounds |
From our friends at GW Athletics...
GW Men's Hoops Grabs #RevRivalry Point with 63-53 Win Over Mason
Colonials capture 10th consecutive home win before near-sellout crowd
GW men's basketball extended its home-court win streak to 10 consecutive games with a 63-53 victory over Revolutionary Rival George Mason before a near-sellout crowd at the Charles E. Smith Center on Saturday.
The victory keeps GW (14-4, 4-1 A-10) a perfect 8-0 this season at the Smith Center, where it has now won 23 of its last 24 contests dating back to the 2012-13 season. It marks the second straight season GW has started 4-1 in A-10 play.
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| Joe McDonald (12 points) hit 3 treys |
The triumph also moves the Colonials ahead of the Patriots, 4-3, in the #RevRivalry, the annual yearlong series between the rival Atlantic 10 athletics departments. The two teams will meet again on March 4 in Fairfax, Virginia.
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| Paul Jorgensen scored 6 points off the bench |
The starting backcourt of juniors Patricio Garino, Joe McDonald and Kethan Savage combined for 36 points and 15 rebounds to lead GW to its third straight series victory over Mason. The Colonials are now 13-2 all-time against the Patriots, including a perfect 11-0 at Smith Center.
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| Sophomore guard Nick Griffin |
Garino led all players with 14 points, including nine in the second half, and added five rebounds. McDonald followed with a season-high three 3-pointers en route to 12 points, while Savage chipped in 10 points and team-high six boards. Senior John Kopriva, junior Kevin Larsen and freshman Yuta Watanabe all scored seven points, and rookie Paul Jorgensen netted six to round out GW's scoring.
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| Head coach Mike Lonergan was all-smiles |
Garino delighted the crowd of 4,313 off the opening tip with an alley-oop dunk from Savage four seconds into the game, and the Colonials made four of their first five baskets for an early 12-5 lead. GW held a 26-20 halftime lead behind a pair of threes and eight points from McDonald and all seven of Kopriva's points.
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| George Mason head coach Paul Hewitt |
George Mason (6-11, 1-4 A-10) rattled off a 9-2 run out of the locker room to grab its only lead at 29-28 with 16:39 remaining. GW responded with a 22-9 spurt, sparked by seven points apiece from Garino and Watanabe, over the next 10 minutes for a comfortable 50-38 advantage, and Mason never threatened again.
The Patriots twice managed to trim the margin to nine, but McDonald buried his third triple at the three-minute mark and the Colonials made seven foul shots down the stretch for the double-digit victory.
Corey Edwards paced Mason with four 3-pointers and 13 points, while Shevon Thompson recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
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| How not to shoot a half-court shot |
The 53 points were the second-fewest scored by the Patriots this season and marked the eighth time the Colonials held an opponent under 60 points in 2014-15.
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| Great defense by John Kopriva (#34) |
GW will travel to face Fordham on Thursday at 7 p.m. on NBCSN before returning to the Smith Center on Saturday for Homecoming against Duquesne at 2 p.m.
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