Prince William Reporter

WINNING TICKET! Gaines Launches Mason Past Richmond, 62-60, to Win Sixth Straight

The George Mason University men's basketball team (19-12, 11-7) won its sixth-consecutive game in dramatic fashion, as a steal and bucket from Davonte Gaines in the final 10 seconds propelled the Patriots past Richmond, 62-60, on Saturday afternoon inside the Robins Center. 
 
The Patriots trailed 60-58 with 33 seconds to play after Richmond's Tyler Burton hit a 3-pointer in the corner. On the next Mason possession, junior Ronald Polite III drew a foul and hit both clutch free throws to tie it up at 60-60 with 25 seconds left.
 
Richmond had a chance to win it, but on the Spiders' final possession, Gaines jumped the passing lane, stole the ball from Matt Grace and converted a difficult finish to put Mason up 62-60 with four seconds left. 
 
A last second heave from Isaiah Bigelow rimmed out and the Patriots held on for their third-straight road win and sixth victory overall heading into next week's A-10 Championship in Brooklyn.
 
It's Mason's longest-league winning streak since the Patriots joined the A-10 in 2013-14.
 
"This wasn't a pretty win, but we battled and gutted," head coach Kim English said. "Points were hard to come by, but our guys fought and scratched and just found a way to get the victory on the road."
 
Gaines proved sensational for the Green & Gold throughout the contest while pouring in a career-best 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting (4-9 3pt FG). He also grabbed eight rebounds and was a +18 when on the floor for the Patriots. 
 
Josh Oduro added his A-10-leading 12th double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Polite III chipped in 12 points (3-6 FG, 6-7 FT) and a game-high five assists. 
 
Mason led by as many as 18 (47-29) in the second half, but a 23-4 run by the Spiders gave Richmond the lead late in the stanza. Mason struggled from 3pt range (4-20, .200), but made up for it on the defensive end, much as the Patriots have done throughout the winning streak. 
 
The Patriots held the Spiders to just 37.8 percent (17-45) for the game and 29.4 percent (5-17) from 3pt range. 
 
On the other end of the floor, George Mason enjoyed a sizable +14 (36-22) edge in points in the paint for the game. 
 
The Patriots used an early 8-2 run to build a 16-7 advantage at the 14:24 mark of the first half. Richmond used a 7-0 spurt to tie it up at 18-18, but with the score knotted at 23-23, the Patriots exploded for a 14-3 run to close the half. That burst included five points each from Malik Henry and Gaines. Mason led 37-26 at the break.
 
George Mason extended the lead to 18 (47-29) after a 3-pointer from Gaines at the 16:28 mark of the second stanza. That increased the Mason run to 24-6 between the two halves. But with Mason ahead 49-31 at 13:54, the Spiders scored 23 of the next 27 points, as the Patriots struggled to score against Richmond's 1-3-1 press. That run gave the Spiders a 54-53 edge with 2:24 remaining. But Mason's late heroics allowed the Green & Gold to continue its school record A-10 winning streak.
 
The victory is redemptive for the Green & Gold after falling at Richmond with less than a second to play last season. The Patriots are just the third team to win inside the Robins Center this season, as the Spiders entered the game with a 12-3 home record.

George Mason now enters the 2022-23 Atlantic 10 Championship next week. The Patriots have cliched a first round bye and will open play on Wednesday, March 8. The Patriots will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the tournament. 

Original source can be found here