WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Luke Hunger scored a game-high 31 points and Jean Aranguren added 16 points and six assists as George Washington pulled away in the second half for a 72-53 victory over George Mason in an Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball game Friday night at the Charles E. Smith Center.

A crowd of 3,694 watched the Revolutionaries (15-11, 5-8 A-10) avenge a five-point loss to the Patriots just three weeks prior, using a decisive 18-2 run early in the second half to turn a competitive contest into a comfortable win. The Patriots (21-5, 9-4), who entered the game with the conference’s best record, saw a three-game winning streak snapped and fell into a tie for first place.

The most important stretch of the game began with George Washington leading 36-33 just over three minutes into the second half. Over the next six minutes, the Revolutionaries unleashed a game-defining surge. It started with a Christian Jones 3-pointer, followed immediately by a Trey Autry steal and layup. After a George Mason turnover, Aranguren converted a layup to cap a quick 7-0 spurt.

Following a Patriots timeout, George Washington’s defense remained stifling, forcing two more turnovers that led to four more points. By the time the dust settled on the 18-2 run, punctuated by a Tyrone Marshall dunk off another Aranguren assist with 12:17 to play, the Revolutionaries held a commanding 54-35 lead. George Mason never got closer than 15 points the rest of the way.

Hunger, a 6-foot-10 junior from Montreal, was the catalyst throughout, scoring from all levels. He went 11 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds. His performance continued a strong recent stretch, following a 21-point effort in a win over Rhode Island earlier in the week.

Aranguren, a guard from Valencia, Venezuela, complemented Hunger perfectly, orchestrating the offense and contributing four steals on the defensive end. Jones and Autry each added eight points for George Washington, which shot 49% from the field and dominated inside with a 34-22 advantage in points in the paint.

George Mason was led by Masai Troutman with 15 points and Jahari Long with 13. The Patriots, however, struggled offensively all night, shooting just 36% from the floor. After trailing 32-30 at halftime, their offense went cold at the worst possible time, managing only two field goals during George Washington’s decisive run.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring 10 lead changes. George Mason scored the first basket on a Troutman layup, but Hunger answered immediately for the Revolutionaries. The Patriots built a brief 14-9 lead midway through the period, but a 13-4 run by George Washington, fueled by two Hunger 3-pointers, gave the home team a lead it would not relinquish. A driving layup by Aranguren just before the halftime buzzer, followed by a free throw, sent the Revolutionaries to the locker room with a two-point edge.

The second-half defensive intensity from George Washington proved the difference. The Revolutionaries scored 11 points off 10 George Mason turnovers after halftime and limited the Patriots to just 23 points on 30% shooting in the final 20 minutes.

Despite the loss, George Mason remains atop the A-10 standings. The Patriots will look to rebound when they host Dayton on Wednesday. George Washington, which moved to 10-3 at home this season, will travel to face VCU on Tuesday.

The game’s final score fell well under the pregame over/under line of 149.5. George Washington covered the spread as a 2.5-point favorite, a result that contradicted the pregame analytics which had given George Mason a 65.6% probability of victory.