(Greg Fiume / A-10)
Mason can’t stop second-half St. Bonaventure comeback from ending A-10 tournament run
BY SAM DOUGLAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND BRIAN A. HAYUM, SPORTS EDITOR
Five days after a dominant win over nationally-ranked Saint Louis, George Mason men’s basketball ended their season with a stunning 63-57 loss.
The fifth-seed Patriots lost to No. 13 St. Bonaventure in the second round of the A-10 tournament on March 12 in Pittsburgh.
Graduate guard Jahari Long led Mason with 17 points, including 14 in the first half. Junior forward Riley Allenspach had another strong game, logging a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.
“I expected better,” Coach Tony Skinn said. “I’m frustrated.”
“My seniors didn’t go out the way I expected them to,” he said. “The highs and lows of this sport: you win at home against one of the better teams, not just in our league, but in the country. Then you come back, and you lay an egg in the second half; it’s unfortunate.”
Long had a first half to remember, scoring 14 points (5-7 FG, 3-5 3PT) in the first 14 minutes of the game. Mason’s floor general capped off his torrent start with a step-back 3-pointer, giving Mason a 26-17 lead with 5:56 left in the half.
The Patriots would make 3 of their final 9 shots before the half, holding a 10-point lead over the Bonnies at halftime.
St. Bonaventure, playing with added motivation after Head Coach Mark Schmidt announced his retirement at the end of their season after his 25-year-long coaching career, stymied Long and the Patriots’ offense in the second half.
“This moment is for those guys,” Schmidt said, who has coached at St. Bonaventure since 2007. “They’re the ones that put in the time; I just walk up and down the sideline.”
“They’re the ones that put in the work.”
The size and physicality of senior forward Frank Mitchell stifled Mason. Mitchell had a productive outing with 14 points and 7 rebounds, but the 6-foot-7-inch, 280-pound Bonnie’s defense proved to be game-wrecking for the Patriots.
Mitchell led a ferocious defensive effort, recording 5 steals in the second half.
“Frank Mitchell is Frank Mitchell, you’re not going to be able to do anything about that,” Skinn said.
Junior guard Dasonte Bowen also had a day to remember for the Bonnies, playing all 40 minutes and racking up 20 points. Bowen continuously drew foul calls against an aggressive Mason defense, making all nine of his attempts from the free-throw line.
Going into the game, the Patriots were favored over St. Bonaventure. The Patriots won both regular-season meetings against the Bonnies, including a win in Fairfax on Feb. 28.
The result is a disappointing end for a Mason team that won 18 of their first 19 games of the season — the best start in program history. The team slipped down the conference standings, losing 5 of 7 games in February, but bounced back with a win against ranked Saint Louis in the final game of the regular season.
With four seniors graduating and the daunting prospect of the transfer portal, Skinn and his staff will have to regroup in the offseason and look forward to next season.
“No matter who it is in our league, anybody can beat anybody,” he said. “And you try to think about the offseason, we’re going to graduate some guys, and we all know how it goes.”
“You may lose a guy or two in the [transfer] portal. We’re going to have to regroup, I’m aware of that, that doesn’t scare me at all.”
The Patriots’ season may not be over yet, as they could compete in the National Invitation Tournament. The NIT features teams that were not selected for March Madness.
The competitors for this year’s NIT will be announced tonight at 9:30 p.m.
