BY NATALIE HEAVREN SPORTS EDITOR

Men’s basketball improved to 4-10 in conference play and 15-12 on the season with a narrow win over Saint Joseph’s on Feb. 22. 

Javon Greene led the team with 20 points and 8 rebounds. 

Here are three takeaways from the game: 

St. Joe’s is a three-point shooting team and Mason was able to disrupt that 

The Hawks averaged 30 attempted threes per game, and the team went 5-11 in just the first 10 minutes of the game. 

Mason could neither keep up nor defend the perimeter early on. While they were able to adjust eventually, Mason very nearly gave the game away by giving up shots from beyond the arc. 

St. Joe’s finished the game 8-30 from the behind the arc, making just 26.7 percent of their shots. 

If the Patriots cannot lock down and combat their opponent’s biggest strengths, the team will struggle down the stretch. However, if the team can adjust the way they did against the Hawks, they will be in much better shape. 

AJ Wilson can do it all 

AJ Wilson finished the game with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and four blocks. 

The team feeds off of Wilson’s success and his dunks and blocks have the ability to get the crowd on their feet. 

If Wilson can continue to consistently put up numbers in multiple categories, the team will be successful in the last two weeks of conference play and into the tournament. 

Mason fixed their offensive woes 

After scoring just 50 points against Richmond on Wednesday night, the team got off to the same slow start against St. Joe’s. 

However, the team turned on the jets late in the first half to take a five-point lead into halftime. 

While the Patriots scored just six points in the first 10 minutes, they scored 56 in the last 30 minutes. 

While it may seem simple, it is much easier to win basketball games when you score more points. 

Mason continues their homestand when they take on Dayton at 7 p.m. on Feb. 25.