Baraka Okojie leads George Mason past DaRon Holmes II and No. 16 Dayton, 71-67
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) Tony Skinn was part of the greatest team in George Mason history, the 2006 squad that made a shocking run to the Final Four as an 11 seed under coach Jim Larrañaga.
On Wednesday night, Skinn - now the Patriots' first-year coach - accomplished something even that George Mason team never did.
Baraka Okojie scored all of his career-high 19 points in the second half, and George Mason rallied past No. 16 Dayton 71-67 on Wednesday night for the first home victory over a ranked foe in program history.
“This has got to be the standard. This is a signature win for us, but there's more to come,” Skinn said.
Keyshawn Hall added 17 points for the Patriots (18-8, 7-6 Atlantic 10), who trailed 40-29 early in the second half before their physical defense keyed a 24-2 run that had Skinn asking the boisterous home crowd to get even louder.
George Mason won its third straight and improved to 13-2 at home this season, and this victory ended with the Patriots' student section pouring onto the court to celebrate.
DaRon Holmes II scored 26 points for Dayton (21-5, 11-3), but the Flyers struggled at times getting the ball to their 6-foot-10 national player of the year candidate. George Mason forced four shot-clock violations, converted 10 Dayton turnovers into 16 points and shot 70.6% from the field after halftime while holding Dayton to 35.7% in the second half.
The Flyers fell one-half game behind first-place Loyola Chicago in the A-10 standings.
Okojie, a 6-foot-3 freshman from Canada, finished 5 of 6 from the floor and 9 of 9 from the free-throw line, doing most of his damage on quick drives to the basket.
“My coaches got on me in the first half for not being aggressive, not getting downhill,” Okojie said. “I came out in the second half and just decided to attack their defense.”
George Mason attempted 29 free throws to Dayton's 14, and Flyers coach Anthony Grant said that was the difference.
“For us, that’s abnormal,” Grant said. “Give them credit. They were able to take advantage of those opportunities and be able to erase our lead and get a lead of their own.”
Dayton followed George Mason's big run with an 11-0 burst to tie the game at 53-all, and Javon Bennett converted a steal into a 3-pointer that gave Dayton its last lead, 56-55 with 5:56 remaining.
Okojie responded with driving layups on consecutive possessions to put George Mason back ahead by three, and the Patriots held on from there. Holmes had a chance to tie it with 34 seconds left but his hook shot rimmed out. Okojie made two free throws with 14 seconds left for the final margin.
Ronald Polite III added 13 points and Amari Kelly scored 12 on 5-of-5 shooting for the Patriots. The Flyers made 11 3s, but Holmes was their only double-figure scorer.
“DaRon Holmes, you're not going to find a better player, not only in our league but in the country,” Skinn said. “To be able to do that against a team like this, the belief is there.”
BIG PICTURE
Dayton: Grant has his best team since the Obi Toppin-led Flyers went 29-2 and finished third in the AP poll in the pandemic-halted 2019-20 season, and he knows he'll get every opponent's best effort.
“Because of what our team has been able to do throughout the year, every time we play, it’s a big game. No matter what the other team’s record is, no matter what's happening, it’s a huge game,” Grant said. “Their players were obviously excited to play and they stepped up, and our guys kind of played somewhat out of character.”
George Mason: Skinn, who was the second-leading scorer for the Patriots in 2005-06, beat a ranked opponent for the first time in his coaching career. The Patriots hosted a ranked foe for the first time since then-No. 4 Dayton won 62-55 on Feb. 25, 2020.
UP NEXT
Dayton: Hosts Davidson on Tuesday night.
George Mason: At Loyola Chicago on Saturday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | DaRon Holmes II vs. Amari Kelly (Javon Bennett gains possession) | |||
19:41 | +2 | DaRon Holmes II makes two point jump shot (Nate Santos assists) | 2-0 | |
19:17 | +2 | Amari Kelly makes two point layup | 2-2 | |
18:46 | +3 | Javon Bennett makes three point jump shot | 5-2 | |
18:25 | +3 | Ronald Polite III makes three point jump shot (Keyshawn Hall assists) | 5-5 | |
18:10 | +2 | Nate Santos makes two point layup (Kobe Elvis assists) | 7-5 | |
17:55 | Kobe Elvis shooting foul (Keyshawn Hall draws the foul) | |||
17:55 | Keyshawn Hall misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
17:55 | +1 | Keyshawn Hall makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-6 | |
17:35 | Kobe Elvis misses two point layup | |||
17:33 | Kobe Elvis offensive rebound | |||
17:33 | Kobe Elvis misses two point jump shot | |||
17:31 | Amari Kelly defensive rebound | |||
17:22 | Jared Billups misses three point jump shot | |||
17:20 | Keyshawn Hall offensive rebound | |||
17:16 | Keyshawn Hall misses two point jump shot | |||
17:14 | Jared Billups offensive rebound | |||
17:13 | Jared Billups misses two point jump shot | |||
17:13 | Jared Billups offensive rebound | |||
17:13 | Nate Santos personal foul | |||
17:10 | Keyshawn Hall offensive foul | |||
17:10 | Keyshawn Hall turnover (offensive foul) | |||
16:57 | Javon Bennett misses three point jump shot | |||
16:55 | Patriots defensive rebound | |||
16:43 | Nate Santos shooting foul (Amari Kelly draws the foul) | |||
16:43 | +1 | Amari Kelly makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 7-7 | |
16:43 | Amari Kelly misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
16:43 | Petras Padegimas defensive rebound | |||
16:23 | Enoch Cheeks misses two point layup | |||
16:21 | Javon Bennett offensive rebound | |||
16:12 | Flyers turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
15:44 | +2 | Amari Kelly makes two point hook shot (Jared Billups assists) | 7-9 | |
15:29 | +3 | Enoch Cheeks makes three point jump shot (Petras Padegimas assists) | 10-9 | |
15:11 | Enoch Cheeks shooting foul (Darius Maddox draws the foul) | |||
15:11 | TV timeout | |||
15:11 | +1 | Darius Maddox makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 10-10 | |
15:11 | +1 | Darius Maddox makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 10-11 | |
15:11 | +1 | Darius Maddox makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 10-12 | |
14:56 | +3 | Koby Brea makes three point jump shot (Javon Bennett assists) | 13-12 | |
14:36 | Keyshawn Hall misses two point layup | |||
14:34 | Amari Kelly offensive rebound | |||
14:25 | +2 | Amari Kelly makes two point layup | 13-14 | |
14:05 | Amari Kelly personal foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul) | |||
13:44 | Flyers turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
13:20 | +3 | Keyshawn Hall makes three point jump shot (Ronald Polite III assists) | 13-17 | |
13:03 | Isaac Jack misses two point layup | |||
13:01 | Ronald Polite III defensive rebound | |||
12:49 | Keyshawn Hall misses three point jump shot | |||
12:47 | Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound | |||
12:42 | +2 | Enoch Cheeks makes two point layup | 15-17 | |
12:42 | Darius Maddox shooting foul (Enoch Cheeks draws the foul) | |||
12:42 | Enoch Cheeks misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
12:42 | Keyshawn Hall defensive rebound | |||
12:20 | Keyshawn Hall misses two point jump shot | |||
12:18 | Petras Padegimas defensive rebound | |||
12:07 | +2 | Isaac Jack makes two point layup (Enoch Cheeks assists) | 17-17 | |
11:49 | Ronald Polite III misses three point jump shot | |||
11:47 | Koby Brea defensive rebound | |||
11:41 | Isaac Jack turnover (traveling) | |||
11:41 | TV timeout | |||
11:10 | Darius Maddox misses three point jump shot | |||
11:08 | DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound | |||
10:59 | Amari Kelly blocks Kobe Elvis's two point jump shot | |||
10:57 | Flyers offensive rebound | |||
10:54 | Koby Brea misses three point jump shot | |||
10:52 | Tre' Wood defensive rebound | |||
10:35 | Darius Maddox misses two point jump shot | |||
10:33 | Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound | |||
10:14 | Kobe Elvis turnover (bad pass) (Amari Kelly steals) | |||
9:50 | Woody Newton turnover (traveling) | |||
9:20 | DaRon Holmes II misses two point jump shot | |||
9:18 | Amari Kelly defensive rebound | |||
9:05 | Jared Billups misses two point jump shot | |||
9:03 | DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound | |||
8:51 | +3 | Kobe Elvis makes three point jump shot (DaRon Holmes II assists) | 20-17 | |
8:20 | Baraka Okojie misses three point jump shot | |||
8:18 | Amari Kelly offensive rebound | |||
8:18 | Amari Kelly turnover (lost ball) (DaRon Holmes II steals) | |||
7:59 | Amari Kelly personal foul | |||
7:59 | TV timeout | |||
7:50 | Kobe Elvis misses two point layup | |||
7:48 | Kobe Elvis offensive rebound | |||
7:38 | +2 | DaRon Holmes II makes two point jump shot | 22-17 | |
7:25 | +3 | Woody Newton makes three point jump shot (Darius Maddox assists) | 22-20 | |
6:50 | +3 | DaRon Holmes II makes three point jump shot (Javon Bennett assists) | 25-20 | |
6:37 | +3 | Keyshawn Hall makes three point jump shot (Darius Maddox assists) | 25-23 | |
6:14 | Darius Maddox blocks Nate Santos's two point jump shot | |||
6:12 | Keyshawn Hall defensive rebound | |||
5:50 | Javon Bennett personal foul (Ronald Polite III draws the foul) | |||
5:35 | Woody Newton misses two point jump shot | |||
5:35 | Malik Henry offensive rebound | |||
5:35 | Javon Bennett personal foul | |||
5:30 | Keyshawn Hall misses three point jump shot | |||
5:28 | Flyers defensive rebound | |||
4:59 | +3 | DaRon Holmes II makes three point jump shot (Koby Brea assists) | 28-23 | |
4:36 | Keyshawn Hall offensive foul | |||
4:36 | Keyshawn Hall turnover (offensive foul) | |||
4:09 | +2 | DaRon Holmes II makes two point layup | 30-23 | |
4:09 | Darius Maddox shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul) | |||
4:09 | +1 | DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 31-23 | |
3:49 | DaRon Holmes II blocks Malik Henry's two point jump shot | |||
3:49 | Patriots offensive rebound | |||
3:49 | TV timeout | |||
3:45 | +2 | Malik Henry makes two point dunk (Darius Maddox assists) | 31-25 | |
3:15 | Kobe Elvis misses two point jump shot | |||
3:13 | Flyers offensive rebound | |||
3:13 | Flyers turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
2:47 | Tre' Wood misses three point jump shot | |||
2:45 | Jared Billups offensive rebound | |||
2:38 | Woody Newton misses three point jump shot | |||
2:36 | Tre' Wood offensive rebound | |||
2:35 | Tre' Wood turnover (bad pass) (Koby Brea steals) | |||
2:23 | Petras Padegimas misses three point jump shot | |||
2:21 | Jared Billups defensive rebound | |||
2:13 | Woody Newton misses three point jump shot | |||
2:13 | Patriots offensive rebound | |||
2:13 | Austin Ball turnover (out of bounds) | |||
1:50 | Kobe Elvis misses three point jump shot | |||
1:48 | Flyers offensive rebound | |||
1:30 | Koby Brea misses three point jump shot | |||
1:28 | Enoch Cheeks offensive rebound | |||
1:27 | Woody Newton blocks Enoch Cheeks's two point layup | |||
1:25 | Tre' Wood defensive rebound | |||
1:17 | Patriots 30 second timeout | |||
0:54 | +2 | Ronald Polite III makes two point layup | 31-27 | |
0:37 | +2 | Isaac Jack makes two point dunk (DaRon Holmes II assists) | 33-27 | |
0:03 | Darius Maddox misses three point jump shot | |||
0:01 | Koby Brea defensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |