FAIRFAX, Va. – A late run by George Mason University handed the Jacksonville State men's basketball team a 67-60 loss on the road Tuesday night at EagleBank Arena.
 
JSU (2-5) led by as much as four points in the first half and held a one-point advantage at the break, but the Patriots (9-1) scored the first basket of the latter period and did not let the Gamecocks back in the driver's seat.
 
De'Torrion Ware and the JSU offense kept George Mason within a basket's reach up until two minutes to go in the game. Despite a 19-point performance from Ware, Mason pulled away with the help of a seven-point run in the closing minutes to claim its fourth win in a row.
 
"We have to find ways defensively to close games out," head coach Ray Harper said following the game. "I thought we got a little fatigued down the stretch. We had a few defensive plays that didn't go our way. We grabbed a rebound in a one-point game and [George Mason] just took it from us and hit a 3-pointer after that.
 
"But I think we're showing signs of improvement. The difference in the game tonight was George Mason's ability to rebound the ball offensively in the second half. We didn't give them many second chances in the first, but we didn't defend well in the second."
 
The Gamecocks took a 29-28 lead at the half, fueled by a six-point run in the last two minutes of the period. Derek St. Hilaire scored a half-best nine points, hitting 4-of-6 shot attempts with a 3-pointer, while Jacara Cross tallied five points with four rebounds.
 
George Mason, after falling behind four points seven minutes into the contest, rallied back to take a five-point lead with 2:09 remaining before halftime. That's when Jacksonville State outscored the home team 6-0 to take a one-point lead to the locker room.
 
Derrick Cook started the streak with a 3-pointer from the corner, and Ware followed up with a fastbreak layup. Elias Harden capped the drive with a free throw to give JSU the advantage.
 
Patriots guard Jamal Hartwell II, the team's leading scorer this season, was kept off the board in the first, but his first basket of the game put his team ahead for good. Hartwell went on to finish the night with six points, while Jordan Miller led Mason with 19 points.
 
Ware scored 15 of his 19 points in the second, accounting for nearly half of Jacksonville State's points in the final 20 minutes. He came up just one point shy of tying his career high.
 
As mentioned by Harper, Jacksonville State was rebounded 23-16 in the second. Cook led the rebounding efforts in the closing period with four.
 
Next on the schedule for Jacksonville State is a trip to Huntsville, Ala., Dec. 7 to take on Alabama A&M at 4 p.m. 
 
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