George Mason 90, Lebanon Valley 65

Photo Gallery

LVC Starters
Orr, Light, Davis, Barwin, Boccanfuso

GMU Starters
Jenkins, Kier, Livingston, Grayer, Moore

How It Happened
George Mason escaped its home floor of EagleBank Arena with a 90-65 win over Lebanon Valley in just about the most impressive loss you'll ever see from a Division III squad entering a hostile environment of a former NCAA Division I Final Four qualifier.

The Flying Dutchmen (0-1) gave those in attendance a glimpse of what they're capable of when they shook off a dunk by Jaire Grayer and proceeded to stun the Patriot faithful by leading by as many as 10 points on two occasions in the opening 20 minutes. For the Dutchmen, you couldn't have asked for a better first half.

Marquis Davis knocked down his first shot in an LVC uniform and the first shot of the season for the Dutchmen to put his team ahead 3-2 at the 18 minute mark of the first half. Caleb Barwin had the hot hand for Lebanon Valley in the early going, knocking down a pair of three-pointers and converting three free throws after being hit on an attempt from distance to push the advantage to 16-10 at the 13:37 mark.

The Patriots (1-1) drew even when Marquise Moore converted a layup with just over 11 minutes left in the opening half before a Sam Light jumper and Andy Orr's three ball from straightaway put LVC back out in front 27-21 with 7:09 left.

Back-to-back buckets by Light gave the Dutchmen a seven-point cushion at 38-31 and Davis' jumper from beyond the arc at the 2:29 mark gave the visitors their first double-digit lead of the contest. After a Moore layup with four seconds remaining cut the LVC advantage to eight, Davis laid in a tough layup high off the glass while being fouled to beat the buzzer and give his squad a 43-33 lead at halftime.

GMU netted the first six points after the break before a Light triple momentarily stemmed the momentum with 17:39 left to play. The home team cut the deficit to six but LVC again had an answer when Davis buried a three-ball to make it 53-44 at the 15:52 mark.

It was the ensuing 13-0 Patriots' run over the next four and a half minutes that swung the momentum from the feisty visitors to the side of the six-time NCAA Division I Tournament qualifiers.

Trailing 59-53 with 11:15 remaining, the Dutchmen clawed all the way back and drew to within one point when Orr knocked down a pretty turnaround jumper in the paint with just over eight minutes left on the clock. Andrew Eberhart got into the scoring act and his driving layup off glass kept the deficit to just one on the team's ensuing possession.

It was another key run, however, that allowed George Mason the breathing room it failed to achieve in the first 36 minutes of play. The Patriots put together a 14-0 run over a span of a little more than three minutes before pulling ahead in the closing minutes after head coach Brad McAlester afforded his starters rest ahead of their home opener on Saturday night.

Competing With the Best
Lebanon Valley went into the Patriots' EagleBank Arena and took a team that appeared in the NCAA Division I Championship Tournament as recently as 2011 to the limit. The Dutchmen led the 2006 Final Four qualifier for more than 20 minutes and didn't trail by more than 10 until less than five minutes remained in the second half.

Inside the Numbers
- LVC's matchup with George Mason was the program's first contest against an NCAA Division I opponent in 30 years (Bucknell, 1986).
- Tuesday's game was just the second-ever meeting between LVC and the Patriots. The Dutchmen showed how far the program has come since falling to GMU 83-48 in 1977's first meeting.
- It was an impressive debut for Marquis Davis. The transfer commanded the point position and netted 13 points, including 12 from distance, while grabbing six rebounds.
- Andy Orr showed he was deserving of his preseason all-America accolades by narrowly missing out on a double-double, pouring in 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds against A-10 competition.  
- Sam Light's scoring ability was on display as the guard made the transition to the off-ball two spot and dropped a game-high 19 on the Patriots, including a couple of pretty shots off the dribble.
- Orr led the team with three assists, while Light was a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line.
- Caleb Barwin sparked LVC's big first half with nine points, including two buckets from beyond the arc.
- The Dutchmen shot an impressive 47.8 percent from the field in the first half before GMU shot out of its mind in the second half, racking up a 61.8 field goal percentage in the final 20 minutes.
- Lebanon Valley was a stout 54.5 percent from three-point range in the first half.
- The Patriots' big men got theirs as the home team pulled in 48 rebounds compared to 25 by LVC.
- Jalen Jenkins (10/11) and Marquise Moore (19/10) each recorded double-doubles for George Mason.

Who's Next?
Riding the momentum of its stellar effort on Tuesday night, LVC takes the court at Sorrentino Gymnasium for the first time this season on Saturday night when the Dutchmen host Penn State Mont Alto for day one of the 2016 Rinso Marquette Tournament.