FAIRFAX, Va. — In a thrilling match on Wednesday night, Central Michigan edged out George Mason with a narrow 70-69 victory, highlighted by Anthony Pritchard’s impressive performance, scoring 21 points. Damarion Bonds clinched the win for the Chippewas with a decisive 3-pointer in the final seconds of the game.

George Mason’s chance to retake the lead came down to an inbounds play with just 14.7 seconds left on the clock. The play did not unfold as planned for guard Jared Billups, who struggled to locate an open teammate, inadvertently throwing the ball off a defender. Bonds seized the opportunity, retrieving the loose ball in the backcourt.

Bonds then moved the ball to Kyler Vanderjagt, who drove into the paint but had his shot rejected. Not to be deterred, Bonds recovered the ball again, faking a shot to get his defender to bite before launching a long-range 3-pointer with only 2.4 seconds remaining in the game.

Despite George Mason’s attempt at a last-minute shot from half-court, the attempt fell short as the ball failed to hit the rim when time expired.

In addition to Bonds’ notable performance, both he and Jakobi Heady contributed 10 points each for Central Michigan, bringing their record to 2-2 this season. On the other side, the Patriots, also with a record of 2-2, found their scoring leader in Darius Maddox, who tallied 15 points. Jared Billups also had a solid game, contributing 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds, while K.D. Johnson added 10 points to his stat line, along with seven rebounds and two steals.