The men’s basketball team fell to George Mason University 65-61 on Tuesday night, despite a poor shooting performance by the Patriots. The Hounds dropped to 2-3 with the loss, while George Mason remains undefeated at 5-0. 

Andrew Kostecka ’20 led Loyola in scoring once again with 20 points. He was supported by a balanced scoring attack of Brent Holcombe ‘21 (13 points, 11 rebounds), Cam Spencer ‘23 (11 points) and KaVaughn Scott ’20 (nine points). Golden Dike ’23 also had six points to go with a game-high five assists and seven rebounds.

The first half was neck and neck most of the way through, as neither team managed to gain a lead greater than five points. Both teams tried to catch fire from three-point range, but could not convert as they missed a total of 19 three-point field goals in the first half. George Mason went to the locker room with a narrow 26-22 advantage.

Loyola would gain their largest lead of the second half when Scott scored five straight points to give the Hounds a 44-40 lead with 11 minutes to go, but the Patriots responded with a mini six-point run of their own. Loyola would not gain the lead again for the remainder of the game.

The two teams were tied at 46 with eight minutes to play. Despite going nearly nine minutes without a field goal, the Patriots kept getting to the free-throw line and were able to hold onto a small lead.

A George Mason 3-pointer with 5:21 left made the score 52-48, then the home team only needed one more field goal to win the game. Loyola would make a basket, then commit a foul at the defensive end to give the Patriots scoring opportunities from the free-throw line. This pattern effectively repeated itself for the remainder of the game, and the home team managed to pull out a 65-61 victory.

Despite the loss, the Hounds shot 46.3 percent to George Mason’s 27.6 percent and outscored their opponent 36-6 in the paint. The Patriots’ points mostly consisted of free throws in the second half, as they made 11 in the final minutes and 24 total in the final 20 minutes to secure an ugly victory.

Loyola will travel to Omaha, Neb. this weekend for the Cayman Islands Mainland Classic. Their first game is on Monday, Nov. 25, when they play Indiana University-Purdue University (IUPUI). Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Featured Image Courtesy of Loyola Athletics.