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(Mitchell Richtmyre / Fourth Estate)

BY RITHVIK HARI, STAFF WRITER

Coming off a close six-point victory against Winthrop, Mason’s men’s basketball improved their record to 3-0 as they defeated the Catawba Chiefs, 86-62 on Nov. 11. 

Graduate guard Jahari Long led the team with a career-high 25 points, while junior guard Kory Mincy logged 19 of his own in another outstanding performance from the backcourt duo.

Mason led 38-31 at the end of the first half, but the Patriots struggled offensively, shooting 11-20 from the floor. 

“I looked like a complete idiot out there because I couldn’t run any offense,” Mason Head Coach Tony Skinn said in his post-game interview.

Catawba’s pressure would come at a price, as the Chiefs picked up 24 fouls, including one declared flagrant. Catawba gained 24 points off of Mason’s 21 turnovers.

In his stellar performance, Long went 4-of-7 from the floor and made 16-of-17 free throw attempts and 25-of-31 in his last two games. His impressive 81% shooting accuracy has helped carry the Patriots to their third and fourth wins of the season. Long also logged three defensive rebounds, one block and one steal. The Maryland transfer missed all of last season due to an ACL injury.

“There’s still more to come and I’m making improvements every day,” Long said in his post-game interview.

(Mitchell Richtmyre / Fourth Estate)

“For three-fourths of that game, I’m not exactly sure how much freedom we had. It was a three-four possession game,” Skinn said. He added that the rest of Mason’s schedule will be more difficult and that each of the games ahead will present new challenges for the Patriots. 

With Mason’s Brayden O’Connor (foot), Masai Troutman (ankle) and Fatt Hill (leg) all out with injuries, Skinn noted that certain players got more playing time than they usually would. 

Skinn praised sophomore forward Stas Sivka for his performance off the bench. Sivka scored 11 points, making two threes and making all five of his free throw attempts.

“Part of my frustration is getting the buy-in of everyone,” Skinn said, referring to the 11 new players who joined the Patriots this season.

“Unfortunately, some bench time is right for a couple of these guys to understand what that expectation is,” Skinn added.

“It’s not an ideal outcome, the way we played,” he said. Catawba is a Division II school, a level below the Division I Patriots, and this game served as an exhibition game for them while it counted towards the Patriots overall record. Catawba’s defensive pressure forced the Patriots to adapt, making changes to their offensive strategy. 

Skinn also made history, becoming the fastest coach in school history to reach the 50-win mark. The former Mason guard took just 71 career games to reach the mark.

“Yeah, I didn’t know they celebrated 50. Ask me that when I get to 100,” he said when asked about the accomplishment in the post-game interview.

The Patriots continue their homestand on Saturday, Nov. 15, against the New Hampshire Wildcats at 2 p.m. Free tickets are available for students on Mason360 and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.

(Andrew T. Yarbrough / Fourth Estate)

BY ANDREW T. YARBROUGH, STAFF WRITER

The annual Gold Rush event at Mason celebrated the second men’s basketball home game of the season on Friday, Nov. 7, at EagleBank Arena. 

The stadium was filled with golden t-shirts, laughter, games and resources to usher in a season of Patriot spirit. 

Each year, Student Government, Patriot Activities Council (PAC), the Resident Student Association (RSA) and the Mason Spirit Squad come together to help build the Mason community’s sense of pride in Mason Athletics and to help cheer on the Mason men’s basketball team, who successfully made it to the NIT Second Round last year. 

The event was nothing short of spectacular. As students flooded the North entrance of Eagle Bank Arena, they were met by Student Government members handing out yellow t-shirts and thanking them for coming to make this year’s Gold Rush a success.

Once students received their shirts, they could play basketball on the concourse with their friends, get their faces painted or spin a wheel to win prizes from PAC. 

PAC is a large student-run organization that holds free, large-scale events on and off campus for students. 

In addition to Gold Rush, PAC hosts Homecoming and Mason Day in the Spring semester to connect students to campus culture and offer ways for the Mason community to interact outside of an academic setting.

The energy at Gold Rush is remembered year-round. 

“Gold Rush is a really fun tradition that I really enjoy coming back to year after year,” said Griffin Crouch, Student Government chair of Government and Community Relations.

One of the activities offered by Student Government and PAC allowed students to create their own posters to hold during the game and cheer on the players. 

Kaylah Pratt, a sophomore volunteering with Student Government, said she was “really excited to encourage students to promote school spirit.”

Mason E-Sports was also in attendance to showcase the games they offer on campus, including Clash Royale, Mario Kart and more competitive games like League of Legends and Call of Duty. 

Gold Rush was sponsored by The Main On University and The Flats on University, two off-campus student housing complexes.

At halftime, students participated in a Simon Says game with Steve Max, a professional Simon Says caller who frequently hosts shows at sporting events across the United States. 

Two students were crowned the winners of the competition by Max.

To cap off the festivities, George Mason beat Winthrop 96-90 for their second win of the season, with gold T-shirt clad Patriots cheering them to victory.