EditorsNote: Corrects to "play" in graf 7; other minor edits
Obi Toppin scored a team-high 19 points and added seven rebounds, and Jalen Crutcher poured in 13 points to extend No. 4 Dayton's winning streak to 17 games with a hard-fought 62-55 win over host George Mason in their Atlantic 10 Conference matchup on Tuesday night in Fairfax, Va.
The Flyers were the highest-ranked opponent to play in EagleBank Arena, and the Patriots (15-13, 4-11) made them battle for every point.
The Flyers (26-2, 15-0) shot 50 percent (25-for-50) from the field, but only 3-for-16 on 3-pointers and 9-for-18 from the free-throw line. They never led by more than eight points.
The Patriots also struggled shooting the ball, finishing 3-for-19 on 3-pointers and 8-for-13 on free throws. They shot only 38.6 percent (22-for-57) from the floor.
AJ Wilson led the Patriots with 18 points and five rebounds, and Jordan Miller chipped in 13 points and 10 boards.
George Mason built on a late surge in the first half by opening the second half with a 9-2 run to seize a 34-32 lead on Wilson's jumper at the 15:10 left in the game. With the score tied at 41-41, Toppin and Dwayne Cohill scored four points apiece in an 8-0 run for a 49-41 lead with 7:20 left.
Crutcher's layup padded Dayton's lead to 53-46 with 6:03 to play, and Toppin added a thundering dunk off a lob pass from Crutcher for a 55-48 lead less than two minutes later.
The Patriots made three free throws to slice the deficit to 55-51, but Toppin countered with a layup to stretch the lead to 57-51 with 3:08 left.
George Mason ended a three-minute field-goal drought when Miller scored on a layup to knock the margin down to 57-53 with 1:50 left. And 32 seconds later, Xavier Johnson's basket lowered the deficit to 57-55, but Ibi Watson answered with a layup to stretch the lead to 59-55 with 45 ticks left.
The Flyers made just 2 of 12 3-pointers in the first half but led 30-25 lead at intermission. The Patriots stayed in the game despite shooting 40 percent (10-for-25) and committing seven turnovers in the first half.
--Field Level Media
