By: Aaron Robinson
On Saturday, George Mason picked up their biggest win of the season, going to Richmond and defeating VCU 79-76 in overtime. Head Coach Dave Paulsen said that Wednesday evenings game against George Washington could have easily been a trap game following such a confidence boosting win.
And through the first 20 minutes of game action it certainly looked that way.
The Colonials led by as many as 14 points in the first half before heading into the halftime break with a 13 point lead.
In that first frame, the Patriots scored just 23 points on 30% shooting from the floor, as their offense simply looked out of sync at times. The Patriots struggled to finish around the rim, shooting 6-29 on shots coming inside the three-point arc.
“We had really good looks at the basket in the first half, but there was a lid on it,” Paulsen said.
In the second half, the Patriots made a point to get the ball inside, as they scored 18 of their 40 second half points in the painted area.
The front-court duo of Josh Oduro and Jordan Miller imposed their will on the game throughout the evening, combining for 16 of the Patriots 23 offensive rebounds on the night.
“It was an off day offensively so I knew the only way I could help my team was to get on the boards,” Miller, who scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, said after the game. “That’s something you can control every game… it just comes down to straight effort.”
Miller grabbed 10 offensive rebounds on an evening that he shot just 5-15 from the floor. His front-court partner Josh Oduro, also struggled offensively, save for a key stretch in the second half that turned the game around for George Mason.
At the under eight media timeout, Josh Oduro checked into the game, his team trailing 48-45, and then 49-45 after a Chase Parr made free throw.
In the next 4 minutes, Oduro tallied eight points, five rebounds and two blocks to propel the Patriots to a 53-50 lead.
“Halfway through that second half something just switched, my teammates were encouraging me to take them to the basket, so that’s what I did,” Oduro, who scored nine of his 11 points in the second half, said after the game.
Oduro’s effort today comes after he poured in a career-high 27 points on Saturday in a road win over VCU. A performance that earned him his first career A10 Player-of-the-Week honor on Monday.
Oduro has more than doubled his production from his freshman season to what is becoming a breakout sophomore campaign for the Gainesville, Virginia native.
“It’s crazy I was joking with J.O earlier today and I was like it’s crazy you’re a sophomore, I feel like you’ve been here for a while now,” Miller Joked.
“I love playing with Josh, his development has been great, he’s a brother to me, and his physical post presence changed the tide of the game and I think it showed today.”
But on Wednesday night what stood out even more than the strength of the George Mason front-court, was the growth and maturity of this team as a whole.
To watch the patriots fall behind by 14 points in the first half and not blink an eye, and find a way to win a game when they shot just 31% from the floor is a microcosm of the maturation of this team.
“A year ago we wouldn’t have come back in the second half, I think a month ago we wouldn’t have come back in the second half, so I think that’s a sign of maturity,” Paulsen said.
This win mark’s the third in a row for George Mason, who has not won three straight A10 games all season long.
In college basketball, it is the goal of every team to be playing your best basketball in late February as you head towards conference tournament time in March.
And for George Mason, this win streak could not have come at a better time.
“I think we’re clicking, and that’s from practicing, we’re a really connected team,” Oduro said. “All the hard work we all put in during the summer and during the year is coming to fruition, so i'm excited to see what we can do in the future.”
“Every win counts, we’re on a three game winning streak right now, and trying to make it four, and make a deep run in this tournament,” Miller said.
George Mason will host La Salle on Saturday as they will honor their seniors and look to sweep the season series over the Explorers. George Mason beat La Salle by 33 points at EagleBank arena in mid January, and they will look to replicate that performance and conclude regular season play with their fourth consecutive win on Saturday.