George Mason Slides Down A-10 Tourney Bracket With Loss

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While the trip George Mason made to St. Louis, MO is a long one, it doesn’t quite excuse their no-show in the first half on Saturday afternoon against the Billikens. The Patriots trailed 40-24 going into halftime before finally coming alive towards the end of the game. Eventually, Saint Louis was able to calm Mason’s late run, walking away with an 81-71 victory.

Freshman Jamal Hartwell II was one of the few bright spots for George Mason, following his 15-point game on Wednesday with one just like it against Saint Louis. Previously, the first-year point guard hadn’t cracked double-figures all season but thanks to his locked-in jump shot, he’s been a nice surprise. In his last two games, Hartwell has made nine of his 15 shots from downtown.

Besides Hartwell, who came off the bench on Saturday, proficient shooting was nowhere to be found, especially among the squad’s most reliable players. Combined, starters Otis Livingston II, Justin Kier, Javon Greene, and Jarred Reuter shot just 25 percent from the floor (9-for-36) while Mason’s fifth starter, freshman Jordan Miller, scored 15 points on 40-percent shooting.

Going into the contest, the George Mason (16-13, 10-6) held the No. 4 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, an envious spot that plops a double-bye in the lap of whichever team secures it (as well as the top three seeds). With the loss, and wins by St. Bonaventure and Duquesne, Mason fell to the No. 6 in the A-10 Tournament bracket. Their current seed (as well as the No. 5 seed) will net them a single-bye scenario if they finish there.

Moving forward, they have two games remaining (vs. VCU; at George Washington). With some help, a double-bye is still possible but they’ll need to handle business on their own time first. VCU and Davidson have their double-byes locked up, leaving No. 3 Dayton (11-5), No. 4 St. Bonaventure (11-5), No. 5 Duquesne (10-6) and No. 6 George Mason (10-6) to fight it out over the final week of the regular season.