No. 8 seed Georgia Mason rode gritty defense and opportunistic late offense to defeat No. 9 seed Villanova in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday.
The Patriots were led by Luke Hancock who finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Hancock dropped the dagger, a 3 point basket with 20 seconds to go after Isaiah Tate did the unthinkable: fouling a 3 point shooter in the act. The Patriots did not shoot well overall and struggled mightily from deep only connecting on 4-14 from 3 point range. As has been the case all season, Mason found a way.
For Villanova, it was the Corey and Corey show. The Wildcat backcourt of Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher proved to be too much as they combined for 34 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. The pair also drained 6 three point baskets. The rest of the team combined for a total of 8 made baskets.
George Mason moves on face Ohio State on Sunday with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.