BROOKLYN, N.Y.- The twelfth-seeded George Mason Patriots advanced to the second round of the 2020 Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship after defeating the thirteenth-seeded Saint Joseph’s Hawks, 77-70 on Wednesday at the Barclays Center. 

The Patriots will play the fifth-seeded St. Bonaventure Bonnies on Thursday at 2:30 pm. 

George Mason scored on the opening possession of the game with an inside jumper from Jordan Miller. The score was tied at nine apiece after five minutes, with Ryan Daly scoring seven of the Hawks’ opening points.

Through the remainder of the first half, both teams traded blows before Mason finished the first half on a 13-4 run to set the score at 38-27 at halftime. 

The Patriots tried to pull ahead but Toliver Freeman sank a few three pointers to keep the Hawks’ hopes alive. With under three minutes in the game, Mason held a convincing 66-52 lead but Saint Joseph’s erased the lead to bring the score within three with 42 seconds left in the game. George Mason was able to finish off the game by sinking the necessary free throws to move on. 

AJ Wilson led the Patriots with a near double-double, tallying 24 points on 10-16 shooting (.625) from the field and bringing down nine boards. 

Ryan Daly finished the game with 28 points for the Hawks, shooting 12-23 (.522).