FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason guard trio of Jaire Grayer, Otis Livingston and Marquise Moore combined for 51 points and eight steals to lead a dominant effort from the backcourt that lifted the Patriots to their eighth consecutive win, 97-60 over Longwood, Monday evening at EagleBank Arena.
Grayer, Livingston and Moore each scored 17 points and combined to hit 16-of-30 shots from the field and 14-of-15 from the free throw line as the Patriots (9-3) improved to 4-0 on their home floor and topped 90 points for the third time this season. The win was George Mason's fourth double-digit victory of that tear, during which they have overcome a 1-3 start to become the Atlantic 10's first nine-win team.
"I don't think there is a positive to today's game," said Longwood head coach
Jayson Gee. "I thought we were beat up and dejected early. We faced a hot team that had won seven games in a row and is playing at a high level. They won by 19 at Penn State, and we certainly weren't able to match that level of effort."
The Patriots attacked Longwood (2-6) with a balanced effort in which they scored 33 points in the paint, 30 from three-point range and 29 from the free throw line. Four of their starters scored in double figures, including the aforementioned guard trio and freshman guard Justin Kier. Starting forward Jalen Jenkins also approached a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds, while the Patriot reserves added 25 points from the bench.
"They've made a commitment to driving to the basket, and the games where they've struggled are games where they didn't get a lot of free throws," Gee said. "Obviously this game was not like that."
With Livingston, Moore and company driving from the backcourt, George Mason got 33 trips to the free throw line and hit a season-high 29 of those. Livingston was a perfect 7-of-7 from the stripe, increasing his NCAA-leading free throw percentage to .974 (37-of-38) on the season.
"They shot 33 free throws and made 29," Gee said. "We were constantly off-balance and backpedaling instead of being in containment mode and ready to contain the dribble. Our on-the-ball defense was not very good tonight at all."
Longwood entered the night forcing opponents into 14.9 turnovers per game but pulled away just eight from the Patriots. Livingston dished four assists without a single giveaway from the point, while freshman Ian Boyd came off the bench to deliver three more assists without a turnover in 24 minutes of action.
George Mason also took care of the ball on the boards, thanks in large part to the 6-2, 208-pound Moore, who grabbed eight to just miss out on what would have been his eighth double-double of the season. Moore, who leads all NCAA guards with 10.6 rebounds per game, helped the Patriots to a 46-32 rebounding advantage to outrebound their fifth consecutive opponent.
Longwood's bright spots came in the form of its three-player tandem of
Darrion Allen,
Khris Lane and
Isaiah Walton, who all scored in double figures. Allen led the way with 16, Walton chipped in 15 with three three-pointers, and Lane added 11 points with eight rebounds. However, George Mason held the rest of Longwood's lineup to just 18 points.
"Frustration got the best of all of us tonight," Gee said.
After a five-game road trip that also included a bout at No. 10 Creighton this past Friday, Longwood returns to Willett Hall for the first time in more than a week to host Averett Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m.
"We have to put these two games in our pocket and find a way to regroup and come out ready to compete Wednesday on our home court," Gee said. "We need to get this ship turned around. At the end of the day, we have to focus on making ourselves better every day."
#GoWood
