Mason men's basketball defeats Northern Iowa 76-70

Patrick Holloway hit three three-pointers on Saturday in a game against Northern Iowa (photo by John Irwin).

The Mason men’s basketball team defeated Northern Iowa 76-70 at home on Saturday at the Patriot Center. Sophomore Marko Gujanicic recorded his second double-double in two straight games as a starter, while Sherrod Wright tallied 23 points and Patrick Holloway, who started in place of injured point guard Bryon Allen, ended with 11 points respectively.

It came down to the final minutes of the game for the Patriots, when with 4:21 left to play, UNI’s Matt Bohannon knocked down a three pointer that cut the Patriots’ lead and had the score at 60-59 in Mason’s favor. After trading points over the next few minutes, Holloway brought the Mason lead to 67-63 when he hit his third three-pointer of the game. The Panthers’ last-ditch attempt by fouling and stopping the clock was unsuccessful, as they sent Corey Edwards and Gujanicic to the line, where they each made both of their free throws. A wide open three-pointer by Bohannon and another two free throws for Gujanicic brought the final score to 76-70, giving Mason the win.

“[Marko’s] fresher this year physically,” said Mason head coach Paul Hewitt. “He’s got a lot of energy this year. He’s a heck of a player.”

Gujanicic went 10-for-10 from the free throw line and continued to be an asset for the team on the court. Mason shot an impressive 84 percent on free throws in the game, while taking a 17-6 advantage on second chance points. The Patriots (3-0) played strong defensively, providing a demanding presence beneath the basket while maintaining the pace with their up-tempo style of play.

Mason jumped out to an early 8-0 lead to start the game, with Wright grabbing six of the first eight points for the team. The Patriots went up 11-2 after a Holloway three-pointer, and held the Panthers to just two points off free throws. Mason didn’t allow UNI to get into a rhythm on offense, due in part to their stifling defense and constant shot contention. The Patriots’ defensive pressure resulted in two shot-clock violations on UNI in the early minutes, but the momentum changed in the Panthers’ favor when Chip Rank hit the first field goal for the team with 14 minutes on the clock, and brought the score to 11-5. UNI proceeded to go on an 11-2 run to tie the score at 19, but Mason would lead heading into the locker room 30-29 at the half.

“This was a big test for us to see who would step up,” Holloway said. “It was a good game, but we still have a lot of work to do.”

The Patriots return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 19 as they face St. Francis (PA) University. Opening tip off is slated for 7 p.m.