Jaden Schutt came off the bench to score 18 points, all from beyond the arc, to propel Virginia Tech to a 73-62 victory over George Mason Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg, Va.
Amani Hansberry added 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Hokies (8-2) in their first meeting with the Patriots since 1992.
Tyler Johnson contributed 13 points and five rebounds for Virginia Tech, which made 47.4% of its shots from the floor and 9 of 25 (36%) from beyond the arc.
Schutt was the Hokies’ top marksman, hitting 6 of 12 shots from deep.
Kory Mincy produced 16 points and eight assists to pace George Mason (9-1), which started the day as one of 15 remaining unbeaten teams in Division I.
It was the first true road game this season for the Patriots, who got 11 points and five rebounds from Riley Allenspach and 10 points from Jahari Long
George Mason entered the day fourth in the nation in 3-point accuracy at 41.9%. But the Hokies limited the Patriots to 7-of-21 (33.3%) shooting from deep.
Virginia Tech opened with the game’s first seven points before George Mason settled in with back-to-back 3-pointers from Long and Allenspach.
The Patriots earned their first lead of the game, 24-22, when Mincy drained an NBA-length 3-pointer with 7:44 left in the period.
But the Hokies went on a 14-2 spree fueled by a trio of 3-pointers by Schutt in the final 3:02 of the half.
Hansberry triggered the run with a layup and followed with two steals which set up triples in transition by Schutt.
When Neoklis Avdalas closed the run with another 3-pointer, it gave Virginia Tech a 43-30 lead at the break.
The Patriots whittled the deficit to 10 points early in the second half before the Hokies went on a 13-0 run.
Johnson fueled the eruption with a trey and a fastbreak slam and Schutt polished off the run with consecutive triples as Virginia Tech took its biggest lead, 60-37, with 14:47 left.
George Mason made a late run but never got the deficit to single digits in the second half.
