Flyers beat George Mason in easy win

By: Steven Wright – Sports Editor

A long scoring run gave the University of Dayton men’s basketball team all the cushion it needed to pick up consecutive wins for the first time in a month.

Redshirt junior guard Jordan Sibert scored 19 points to lead all scorers, and Dayton took down George Mason University 81-67 Wednesday, Feb. 5, at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.

With Dayton up 26-21, the team held George Mason without a field goal during a 9:44 stretch spanning both halves.

Dayton used its defense to spark a 23-4 run to blow the game open, turning a five-point lead into a 24-point one at 49-25 with 17:18 left in the second half.

Dayton led by 27 with 12:48 remaining, but numerous fouls extended the game in the final 10 minutes, with Dayton committing 17 second half fouls and GMU going 18 of 25 from the free throw line to keep the score relatively close.

Dayton (15-8, 3-5) connected on 15 of its 23 field goal attempts in the second half, shooting 54.9 percent in the game.
UD also went 22-for-30 from the free throw line.

Redshirt senior guard Vee Sanford added 16 points, and redshirt senior center Matt Kavanaugh scored 14.

GMU senior guard Sherrod Wright led three Patriot players in double figure scoring with 18.

George Mason (7-15, 0-8) has now lost nine games in a row, still winless in its first year as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Dayton held its largest halftime lead this season at 40-25 behind 10 first half points from Sibert.

UD scored 26 points off 15 turnovers, and outscored the Patriots 38-22 in the paint.