Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: WILL NUNN; CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SPORTS EDITOR
The St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team fell 77-73 at the hands of George Mason University Saturday night, blowing a late lead as it continued its struggles in Atlantic 10 play.
Junior guard Kory Mincy, who entered the game as the second-leading scorer in the Atlantic 10 with 16.7 points per game, led the way for the Patriots (20-2, 8-1 A-10) with 22 points, shooting 9-of-15 from the floor.
Senior guard Fatt Hill added 16 points and graduate guard Jahari Long tallied 13 points and a game-high nine assists for George Mason.
The Bonnies (13-9, 2-7 A-10) were paced offensively by senior forward Frank Mitchell, whose 25 points led all scorers. Redshirt junior guard Dasonte Bowen scored 14 points and dished out a team-high eight assists and senior guard Cayden Charles recorded 13 points and a game-high four steals.
A mixture of up-tempo offense and defensive physicality propelled the Bonnies out to an early lead. Bonaventure scored the first six points of the game and led 21-10 after nine minutes of game action.
The Bonnies led by as many as 14 points in the first half in part due to forcing the George Mason offense into 10 first-half turnovers, scoring 10 points off those turnovers.
The Patriots cut into the lead in the closing seconds of the half, scoring five points in the final five seconds thanks to a Bonaventure turnover on an inbounds pass. The Bonnies took a 39-31 lead into the locker room.
Charles led the offense for Bonaventure with nine points in the first half. Mitchell, Bowen and junior guard Darryl Simmons II each added eight points before the halftime break.
Mincy led the way for George Mason with nine points in the first half, one in which the Patriots struggled to find any offensive rhythm. Mason shot 0-of-7 from beyond the arc in the first half.
The Bonnies began the second half by feeding Mitchell in the post early and often. The Toronto, Ontario native scored eight points in the first seven minutes coming out of the break.
Bonaventure once again pushed its lead to 14 in the second half before a late, methodical surge by the Patriots. Mincy cut the lead to 70-69 with a 3-pointer with two minutes remaining and tied the game a minute later with a cutting layup.
Hill grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in to give the Patriots their first lead at 73-72 with 31 seconds to play. Mitchell split a pair of free throws on the other end to tie it back up.
Long was fouled by Simmons on the other end with four seconds remaining and knocked down both free throws, and George Mason sealed the win when Bowen’s pass flew through Simmons’ hands.
The Bonnies will look to right the ship on Tuesday, when they face off with the Flyers of Dayton University in Dayton, Ohio. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network and the Bonnies Online Network.
