Freshman Jamal Hartwell II Helps George Mason Bust Losing Streak

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George Mason beat Richmond at home Wednesday night by a score of 77-63.

FAIRFAX, Va — Even though leading scorer Justin Kier was out of the starting lineup because he was late to a team workout, the George Mason Patriots handled business on Wednesday evening at Eagle Bank Arena. After leading Richmond 32–29 at halftime, they put their foot on the gas in the second half and wound up with a convincing 77–63 win.

Coming off back-to-back losses, the Patriots were led by Jamal Hartwell II, who made his first career start in place of Kier and scored 15 points. All 15 of the freshman’s points came via the three-ball, hitting five of nine three-point shots he attempted. One of his three-point bombs came seconds before the halftime buzzer, and it was DEEP!

Three other players scored in double figures for George Mason, though, surprisingly, neither were named Otis Livingston or Justin Kier. Javon Greene scored 14 points for the Patriots, while freshman Jordan Miller chipped in 13 of his own. Greg Calixte, who rejoined the team after missing several games due to injury, added 10 points off the bench.

Miller, as he always is, was a beast on the offensive glass and finished the game with 10 rebounds (five offensive).

Kier, playing a season-low 22 minutes, hit two big-time threes in the second half but finished with his first single-digit scoring game since Feb. 6.

Up by double-digits with less than a minute to go, the Eagle Bank Arena fans started to let head coach Dave Paulsen know who they wanted to see: sophomore Jack Tempchin. And with the game out of reach, they got their wish.

Tempchin, fittingly, finished with a Club Trillion-esque stat line, though he probably should have gone to the foul line after getting pummelled on his lone field-goal attempt.

The appearance was Tempchin’s first at Eagle Bank Arena since December 21st when he got a bucket against Navy.

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George Mason is now 16–12 on the season and 10–5 in Atlantic 10 play.  They’re now a step closer to the coveted Atlantic 10 Tournament double-bye, though they’ll need to take care of business in their final three conference games.

Next up for the Patriots is Saint Louis on the road, a tough game that KenPom has the Billikens winning by five. After that, they’ll host VCU in their home finale, followed by their season finale down the road against George Washington.

With the win, Mason ensured their first-ever winning conference record since joining the A-10.