The Basics
• Score: George Mason-60, Johns Hopkins-50
• Location: Fairfax, VA • EagleBank Arena
• The Short Story: George Mason, picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 this season, gradually built a double-figure lead in the second half, held off a Johns Hopkins rally and knocked off the Blue Jays, 60-50, in a men's basketball exhibition game at EagleBank Arena Thursday evening.
 
How it Happened
• The Patriots jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the first 11 minutes to grab control early.  The Blue Jays led 3-2 after a Harry O'Neill three-pointer just 92 seconds into the game, but Mason responded with an 11-0 run over the next nine minutes to grab a 10-point lead at 13-3.  Three different players scored four points apiece during the 11-point run for the Patriots, which the Blue Jays ended on bucket down low by freshman Tom Quarry.

• Quarry's basked ignited a 6-0 run for the Blue Jays that sliced what had been the 10-point GMU lead to four at 13-9 with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half.

• A tightly-called first half saw both teams work at the free throw line for much of the last 10 minutes of the half.  The Blue Jays' next five points after the Quarry basket were from the line, while Mason halted the Blue Jays' 6-0 run with a pair of free throws of its own.  The Patriots' only points in a span of 5:29 were two from the stripe from Jaire Grayer at the 7:02 mark.

•  The Blue Jays were within 15-14 late in the half after a pair of free throws by sophomore Conner Delaney and had a chance to grab the lead a short time later, but a blocked shot and transition basket for GMU ignited a 7-3 half-ending spree for the Patriots that gave Mason a 22-17 halftime lead.

•  The Blue Jays hung around for the early part of the second half before the Patriots used a 6-0 run to push a 30-26 lead to 10 at 36-26 with 13:42 remaining.  A conventional three-point play by Ian Boyd with 14 minutes on the clock and three free throws by AJ Wilson just 18 seconds later accounted for all six points in the run.

• Johns Hopkins had the margin down to three at 36-33 as a 7-0 run over a 96-second span made it a one-possession game. A triple by freshman Alex Schachne and back-to-back buckets from Delaney and Joey Fitzpatrick fueled the spree.

•  The lead was back to 10 for the Patriots by the 7:30 mark as Otis Livingston II scored the final five points in a 9-2 run for George Mason to make it 45-35 with 7:38 to play.

•  While the Patriots could never put the Blue Jays away, they were effective enough getting to the basket and at the free throw down the stretch to seal the 60-50 victory.  They led by as many as 13 with 5:37 remaining and the Blue Jays were never closer than seven in the final four minutes.
 
Inside the Box Score
• O'Neil led the Blue Jays with 13 points and six rebounds and Delaney added 12 points and six rebounds.  Gardner added eight points for Johns Hopkins.
• Justin Kier paced George Mason with a game-high 18 points, while Livingston added 13.
• George Mason held a 48-37 rebounding advantage with Virginia transfer Jarred Reurter grabbing a game-high 11 to go along with 10 points.
 
Up Next
• Johns Hopkins will open the 2018-19 season on the road at Moravian on Thursday, November 8 (7 pm).  The Greyhounds posted a 20-8 record last season, won the Landmark Conference title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.