DAYTON

GMASON

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Baraka Okojie leads George Mason past DaRon Holmes II and No. 16 Dayton, 71-67

AP
Feb 21, 2024

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) Tony Skinn was part of the greatest team in George Mason history, the 2006 squad that made a shocking run to the Final Four as an 11 seed under coach Jim Larrañaga.

On Wednesday night, Skinn - now the Patriots' first-year coach - accomplished something even that George Mason team never did.

Baraka Okojie scored all of his career-high 19 points in the second half, and George Mason rallied past No. 16 Dayton 71-67 on Wednesday night for the first home victory over a ranked foe in program history.

“This has got to be the standard. This is a signature win for us, but there's more to come,” Skinn said.

Keyshawn Hall added 17 points for the Patriots (18-8, 7-6 Atlantic 10), who trailed 40-29 early in the second half before their physical defense keyed a 24-2 run that had Skinn asking the boisterous home crowd to get even louder.

George Mason won its third straight and improved to 13-2 at home this season, and this victory ended with the Patriots' student section pouring onto the court to celebrate.

DaRon Holmes II scored 26 points for Dayton (21-5, 11-3), but the Flyers struggled at times getting the ball to their 6-foot-10 national player of the year candidate. George Mason forced four shot-clock violations, converted 10 Dayton turnovers into 16 points and shot 70.6% from the field after halftime while holding Dayton to 35.7% in the second half.

The Flyers fell one-half game behind first-place Loyola Chicago in the A-10 standings.

Okojie, a 6-foot-3 freshman from Canada, finished 5 of 6 from the floor and 9 of 9 from the free-throw line, doing most of his damage on quick drives to the basket.

“My coaches got on me in the first half for not being aggressive, not getting downhill,” Okojie said. “I came out in the second half and just decided to attack their defense.”

George Mason attempted 29 free throws to Dayton's 14, and Flyers coach Anthony Grant said that was the difference.

“For us, that’s abnormal,” Grant said. “Give them credit. They were able to take advantage of those opportunities and be able to erase our lead and get a lead of their own.”

Dayton followed George Mason's big run with an 11-0 burst to tie the game at 53-all, and Javon Bennett converted a steal into a 3-pointer that gave Dayton its last lead, 56-55 with 5:56 remaining.

Okojie responded with driving layups on consecutive possessions to put George Mason back ahead by three, and the Patriots held on from there. Holmes had a chance to tie it with 34 seconds left but his hook shot rimmed out. Okojie made two free throws with 14 seconds left for the final margin.

Ronald Polite III added 13 points and Amari Kelly scored 12 on 5-of-5 shooting for the Patriots. The Flyers made 11 3s, but Holmes was their only double-figure scorer.

“DaRon Holmes, you're not going to find a better player, not only in our league but in the country,” Skinn said. “To be able to do that against a team like this, the belief is there.”

BIG PICTURE

Dayton: Grant has his best team since the Obi Toppin-led Flyers went 29-2 and finished third in the AP poll in the pandemic-halted 2019-20 season, and he knows he'll get every opponent's best effort.

“Because of what our team has been able to do throughout the year, every time we play, it’s a big game. No matter what the other team’s record is, no matter what's happening, it’s a huge game,” Grant said. “Their players were obviously excited to play and they stepped up, and our guys kind of played somewhat out of character.”

George Mason: Skinn, who was the second-leading scorer for the Patriots in 2005-06, beat a ranked opponent for the first time in his coaching career. The Patriots hosted a ranked foe for the first time since then-No. 4 Dayton won 62-55 on Feb. 25, 2020.

UP NEXT

Dayton: Hosts Davidson on Tuesday night.

George Mason: At Loyola Chicago on Saturday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

1st Half
DAYT
Flyers
33
GMU
Patriots
27

Time		Play	Score
20:00		DaRon Holmes II vs. Amari Kelly (Javon Bennett gains possession)
19:41	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point jump shot (Nate Santos assists)	2-0
19:17	+2	Amari Kelly makes two point layup	2-2
18:46	+3	Javon Bennett makes three point jump shot	5-2
18:25	+3	Ronald Polite III makes three point jump shot (Keyshawn Hall assists)	5-5
18:10	+2	Nate Santos makes two point layup (Kobe Elvis assists)	7-5
17:55		Kobe Elvis shooting foul (Keyshawn Hall draws the foul)
17:55		Keyshawn Hall misses regular free throw 1 of 2
17:55	+1	Keyshawn Hall makes regular free throw 2 of 2	7-6
17:35		Kobe Elvis misses two point layup
17:33		Kobe Elvis offensive rebound
17:33		Kobe Elvis misses two point jump shot
17:31		Amari Kelly defensive rebound
17:22		Jared Billups misses three point jump shot
17:20		Keyshawn Hall offensive rebound
17:16		Keyshawn Hall misses two point jump shot
17:14		Jared Billups offensive rebound
17:13		Jared Billups misses two point jump shot
17:13		Jared Billups offensive rebound
17:13		Nate Santos personal foul
17:10		Keyshawn Hall offensive foul
17:10		Keyshawn Hall turnover (offensive foul)
16:57		Javon Bennett misses three point jump shot
16:55		Patriots defensive rebound
16:43		Nate Santos shooting foul (Amari Kelly draws the foul)
16:43	+1	Amari Kelly makes regular free throw 1 of 2	7-7
16:43		Amari Kelly misses regular free throw 2 of 2
16:43		Petras Padegimas defensive rebound
16:23		Enoch Cheeks misses two point layup
16:21		Javon Bennett offensive rebound
16:12		Flyers turnover (shot clock violation)
15:44	+2	Amari Kelly makes two point hook shot (Jared Billups assists)	7-9
15:29	+3	Enoch Cheeks makes three point jump shot (Petras Padegimas assists)	10-9
15:11		Enoch Cheeks shooting foul (Darius Maddox draws the foul)
15:11		TV timeout
15:11	+1	Darius Maddox makes regular free throw 1 of 3	10-10
15:11	+1	Darius Maddox makes regular free throw 2 of 3	10-11
15:11	+1	Darius Maddox makes regular free throw 3 of 3	10-12
14:56	+3	Koby Brea makes three point jump shot (Javon Bennett assists)	13-12
14:36		Keyshawn Hall misses two point layup
14:34		Amari Kelly offensive rebound
14:25	+2	Amari Kelly makes two point layup	13-14
14:05		Amari Kelly personal foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
13:44		Flyers turnover (shot clock violation)
13:20	+3	Keyshawn Hall makes three point jump shot (Ronald Polite III assists)	13-17
13:03		Isaac Jack misses two point layup
13:01		Ronald Polite III defensive rebound
12:49		Keyshawn Hall misses three point jump shot
12:47		Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound
12:42	+2	Enoch Cheeks makes two point layup	15-17
12:42		Darius Maddox shooting foul (Enoch Cheeks draws the foul)
12:42		Enoch Cheeks misses regular free throw 1 of 1
12:42		Keyshawn Hall defensive rebound
12:20		Keyshawn Hall misses two point jump shot
12:18		Petras Padegimas defensive rebound
12:07	+2	Isaac Jack makes two point layup (Enoch Cheeks assists)	17-17
11:49		Ronald Polite III misses three point jump shot
11:47		Koby Brea defensive rebound
11:41		Isaac Jack turnover (traveling)
11:41		TV timeout
11:10		Darius Maddox misses three point jump shot
11:08		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
10:59		Amari Kelly blocks Kobe Elvis's two point jump shot
10:57		Flyers offensive rebound
10:54		Koby Brea misses three point jump shot
10:52		Tre' Wood defensive rebound
10:35		Darius Maddox misses two point jump shot
10:33		Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound
10:14		Kobe Elvis turnover (bad pass) (Amari Kelly steals)
9:50		Woody Newton turnover (traveling)
9:20		DaRon Holmes II misses two point jump shot
9:18		Amari Kelly defensive rebound
9:05		Jared Billups misses two point jump shot
9:03		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
8:51	+3	Kobe Elvis makes three point jump shot (DaRon Holmes II assists)	20-17
8:20		Baraka Okojie misses three point jump shot
8:18		Amari Kelly offensive rebound
8:18		Amari Kelly turnover (lost ball) (DaRon Holmes II steals)
7:59		Amari Kelly personal foul
7:59		TV timeout
7:50		Kobe Elvis misses two point layup
7:48		Kobe Elvis offensive rebound
7:38	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point jump shot	22-17
7:25	+3	Woody Newton makes three point jump shot (Darius Maddox assists)	22-20
6:50	+3	DaRon Holmes II makes three point jump shot (Javon Bennett assists)	25-20
6:37	+3	Keyshawn Hall makes three point jump shot (Darius Maddox assists)	25-23
6:14		Darius Maddox blocks Nate Santos's two point jump shot
6:12		Keyshawn Hall defensive rebound
5:50		Javon Bennett personal foul (Ronald Polite III draws the foul)
5:35		Woody Newton misses two point jump shot
5:35		Malik Henry offensive rebound
5:35		Javon Bennett personal foul
5:30		Keyshawn Hall misses three point jump shot
5:28		Flyers defensive rebound
4:59	+3	DaRon Holmes II makes three point jump shot (Koby Brea assists)	28-23
4:36		Keyshawn Hall offensive foul
4:36		Keyshawn Hall turnover (offensive foul)
4:09	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point layup	30-23
4:09		Darius Maddox shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
4:09	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 1	31-23
3:49		DaRon Holmes II blocks Malik Henry's two point jump shot
3:49		Patriots offensive rebound
3:49		TV timeout
3:45	+2	Malik Henry makes two point dunk (Darius Maddox assists)	31-25
3:15		Kobe Elvis misses two point jump shot
3:13		Flyers offensive rebound
3:13		Flyers turnover (shot clock violation)
2:47		Tre' Wood misses three point jump shot
2:45		Jared Billups offensive rebound
2:38		Woody Newton misses three point jump shot
2:36		Tre' Wood offensive rebound
2:35		Tre' Wood turnover (bad pass) (Koby Brea steals)
2:23		Petras Padegimas misses three point jump shot
2:21		Jared Billups defensive rebound
2:13		Woody Newton misses three point jump shot
2:13		Patriots offensive rebound
2:13		Austin Ball turnover (out of bounds)
1:50		Kobe Elvis misses three point jump shot
1:48		Flyers offensive rebound
1:30		Koby Brea misses three point jump shot
1:28		Enoch Cheeks offensive rebound
1:27		Woody Newton blocks Enoch Cheeks's two point layup
1:25		Tre' Wood defensive rebound
1:17		Patriots 30 second timeout
0:54	+2	Ronald Polite III makes two point layup	31-27
0:37	+2	Isaac Jack makes two point dunk (DaRon Holmes II assists)	33-27
0:03		Darius Maddox misses three point jump shot
0:01		Koby Brea defensive rebound
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
DAYT
Flyers
34
GMU
Patriots
44

Time		Play	Score
19:45		Darius Maddox misses three point jump shot
19:43		Nate Santos defensive rebound
19:33	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point dunk (Javon Bennett assists)	35-27
19:15		Ronald Polite III turnover (lost ball) (Kobe Elvis steals)
19:08		Darius Maddox personal foul (Javon Bennett draws the foul)
18:57	+3	Enoch Cheeks makes three point jump shot (DaRon Holmes II assists)	38-27
18:54		Patriots 30 second timeout
18:54		TV timeout
18:28		Keyshawn Hall turnover (bad pass)
18:18		DaRon Holmes II misses three point jump shot
18:16		Baraka Okojie defensive rebound
18:01	+2	Ronald Polite III makes two point jump shot	38-29
17:45	+2	Nate Santos makes two point layup (Enoch Cheeks assists)	40-29
17:17	+2	Ronald Polite III makes two point jump shot (Jared Billups assists)	40-31
17:05		DaRon Holmes II misses two point layup
17:03		DaRon Holmes II offensive rebound
16:59		DaRon Holmes II misses two point layup
16:57		Ronald Polite III defensive rebound
16:55	+2	Baraka Okojie makes two point layup	40-33
16:55		Nate Santos shooting foul (Baraka Okojie draws the foul)
16:53	+1	Baraka Okojie makes regular free throw 1 of 1	40-34
16:35		Amari Kelly shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
16:35	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	41-34
16:35	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 2 of 2	42-34
16:17	+2	Baraka Okojie makes two point jump shot	42-36
15:42		Kobe Elvis misses three point jump shot
15:40		Baraka Okojie defensive rebound
15:38		Javon Bennett shooting foul (Baraka Okojie draws the foul)
15:38		TV timeout
15:38	+1	Baraka Okojie makes regular free throw 1 of 2	42-37
15:38	+1	Baraka Okojie makes regular free throw 2 of 2	42-38
15:08		Kobe Elvis misses three point jump shot
15:06		Austin Ball defensive rebound
15:05		Petras Padegimas personal foul (Austin Ball draws the foul)
14:45		Keyshawn Hall misses two point layup
14:43		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
14:27		Enoch Cheeks turnover (bad pass)
14:04		DaRon Holmes II shooting foul (Keyshawn Hall draws the foul)
14:04	+1	Keyshawn Hall makes regular free throw 1 of 2	42-39
14:04	+1	Keyshawn Hall makes regular free throw 2 of 2	42-40
13:36		DaRon Holmes II turnover (lost ball)
13:23		Keyshawn Hall misses two point layup
13:21		Baraka Okojie offensive rebound
13:17	+2	Baraka Okojie makes two point layup	42-42
12:58		Jump ball. Javon Bennett vs. Keyshawn Hall (Flyers gains possession)
12:48		Flyers turnover (shot clock violation)
12:39		Isaac Jack personal foul (Amari Kelly draws the foul)
12:31	+2	Amari Kelly makes two point jump shot	42-44
12:31		Isaac Jack shooting foul (Amari Kelly draws the foul)
12:31	+1	Amari Kelly makes regular free throw 1 of 1	42-45
12:19		Kobe Elvis turnover (traveling)
12:02		Isaac Jack personal foul (Keyshawn Hall draws the foul)
12:02	+1	Keyshawn Hall makes regular free throw 1 of 2	42-46
12:02	+1	Keyshawn Hall makes regular free throw 2 of 2	42-47
11:44		Nate Santos misses two point layup
11:44		Flyers offensive rebound
11:44		TV timeout
11:35		Enoch Cheeks misses three point jump shot
11:33		Nate Santos offensive rebound
11:28		Nate Santos turnover (bad pass) (Ronald Polite III steals)
11:25		Koby Brea shooting foul (Keyshawn Hall draws the foul)
11:25	+1	Keyshawn Hall makes regular free throw 1 of 2	42-48
11:25	+1	Keyshawn Hall makes regular free throw 2 of 2	42-49
11:10		Malik Henry personal foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
10:56		Enoch Cheeks misses two point layup
10:54		Baraka Okojie defensive rebound
10:37	+2	Malik Henry makes two point dunk (Ronald Polite III assists)	42-51
10:12		Javon Bennett misses three point jump shot
10:10		Koby Brea offensive rebound
10:02		Nate Santos misses three point jump shot
10:00		Austin Ball defensive rebound
9:37		Enoch Cheeks personal foul (Baraka Okojie draws the foul)
9:37	+1	Baraka Okojie makes regular free throw 1 of 2	42-52
9:37	+1	Baraka Okojie makes regular free throw 2 of 2	42-53
9:23	+3	Koby Brea makes three point jump shot (Enoch Cheeks assists)	45-53
9:00		Ronald Polite III misses three point jump shot
8:58		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
8:38	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point hook shot (Nate Santos assists)	47-53
8:05		Keyshawn Hall misses two point layup
8:03		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
7:47	+3	Nate Santos makes three point jump shot (Koby Brea assists)	50-53
7:25		Baraka Okojie turnover (bad pass) (Koby Brea steals)
7:19	+3	Koby Brea makes three point jump shot (Javon Bennett assists)	53-53
7:16		Patriots 30 second timeout
7:16		TV timeout
6:57	+2	Keyshawn Hall makes two point layup	53-55
6:26		Baraka Okojie personal foul (Javon Bennett draws the foul)
6:12		Amari Kelly blocks DaRon Holmes II's two point layup
6:10		Flyers offensive rebound
6:08		Nate Santos misses two point jump shot
6:06		Keyshawn Hall defensive rebound
6:03		Keyshawn Hall turnover (lost ball) (Javon Bennett steals)
5:54	+3	Javon Bennett makes three point jump shot	56-55
5:42	+2	Baraka Okojie makes two point layup	56-57
5:23		Nate Santos misses three point jump shot
5:21		Keyshawn Hall defensive rebound
5:01	+2	Baraka Okojie makes two point layup	56-59
4:30		Amari Kelly personal foul (Isaac Jack draws the foul)
4:30	+1	Isaac Jack makes regular free throw 1 of 2	57-59
4:30	+1	Isaac Jack makes regular free throw 2 of 2	58-59
4:19		Jump ball. Baraka Okojie vs. Javon Bennett (Patriots gains possession)
4:02	+2	Amari Kelly makes two point jump shot	58-61
3:42		Jared Billups shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
3:42		TV timeout
3:42	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	59-61
3:42	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 2 of 2	60-61
3:15	+3	Ronald Polite III makes three point jump shot (Darius Maddox assists)	60-64
2:46	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point layup (Javon Bennett assists)	62-64
2:34		Javon Bennett personal foul (Baraka Okojie draws the foul)
2:34	+1	Baraka Okojie makes regular free throw 1 of 2	62-65
2:34	+1	Baraka Okojie makes regular free throw 2 of 2	62-66
2:11		DaRon Holmes II misses three point jump shot
2:09		Ronald Polite III defensive rebound
2:06		DaRon Holmes II personal foul (Ronald Polite III draws the foul)
2:06		Ronald Polite III misses regular free throw 1 of 2
2:06	+1	Ronald Polite III makes regular free throw 2 of 2	62-67
1:55		Koby Brea misses three point jump shot
1:53		Jared Billups defensive rebound
1:49		Javon Bennett personal foul (Jared Billups draws the foul)
1:49		Jared Billups misses regular free throw 1 of 2
1:49		Jared Billups misses regular free throw 2 of 2
1:49		Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound
1:37		Jared Billups personal foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
1:37	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	63-67
1:37		DaRon Holmes II misses regular free throw 2 of 2
1:37		Amari Kelly defensive rebound
1:28		Patriots turnover (10-second violation)
1:28		Flyers 30 second timeout
1:12		Kobe Elvis misses two point jump shot
1:10		Nate Santos offensive rebound
1:10		Malik Henry shooting foul (Nate Santos draws the foul)
1:10		Nate Santos misses regular free throw 1 of 2
1:10		Nate Santos misses regular free throw 2 of 2
1:10		DaRon Holmes II offensive rebound
1:09		Amari Kelly personal foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
1:09	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	64-67
1:09	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 2 of 2	65-67
0:58		Ronald Polite III turnover (bad pass) (DaRon Holmes II steals)
0:37		DaRon Holmes II misses two point hook shot
0:35		Keyshawn Hall defensive rebound
0:32		Nate Santos personal foul (Keyshawn Hall draws the foul)
0:32	+1	Keyshawn Hall makes regular free throw 1 of 2	65-68
0:32	+1	Keyshawn Hall makes regular free throw 2 of 2	65-69
0:18	+2	Kobe Elvis makes two point layup	67-69
0:18		Flyers 30 second timeout
0:14		Koby Brea personal foul (Baraka Okojie draws the foul)
0:14	+1	Baraka Okojie makes regular free throw 1 of 2	67-70
0:14	+1	Baraka Okojie makes regular free throw 2 of 2	67-71
0:06		Nate Santos misses three point jump shot
0:04		Patriots defensive rebound
0:00		End of period

Patriots defensive rebound