FAIRFAX, Va. – The Prairie View A&M University men's basketball team lost at George Mason 75-59 in a late morning game Thursday at EagleBank Arena.
 
Zachary Hamilton had a team-high 21 points and six rebounds to lead three PVAMU players in double figures. Troy Thompson and Tevin Bellinger each scored 11 for the Panthers, with Thompson adding a pair of blocked shots, and Bellinger adding four steals.
 
"We do play hard," said Prairie View A&M head coach Byron Smith, whose team concluded a season-long seven-game road trip. "Their preparation and their focus to get ready to play has been good. I thought that they played hard, but we had some lapses in play. We mixed in different lineups, and saw some lineups we liked today, especially on the defensive side. It's just been tough for us to get everyone on the same page from an execution standpoint."
 
Early scoring by Thompson and Hamilton staked Prairie View A&M to a 5-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. George Mason scored the next five points to tie the score with 15:29 to play in the first half. The teams traded baskets with three ties over the next seven minutes, with the final tie at 15-15 on a three-pointer by Thompson with 8:21 to play in the first half.
 
However, a 10-0 Patriots' run led to 37-21 halftime margin.
 
In the final 20 minutes, George Mason extended its lead to 24 at 61-37 with 7:15 to play. The Panthers would not give in, twice cutting the deficit to 13 but could get no closer.
 
The Panthers return home Wednesday to face Huston-Tillotson at 3 p.m. in the William J. Nicks Babydome.
 

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