National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Baylor 72, George Mason 61
When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 24, 2018
Where: The Arena at Northwest Florida State College, Niceville, Florida
Officials: # Jeffrey Anderson, # Doug Shows, # John Gaffney
Attendance: 1250

King McClure scored 27 points as Baylor defeated George Mason 72-61 in the third-place game of the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday at The Arena in Niceville, Fla.

Baylor coach Scott Drew, in his 16th season with the school, picked up his 300th victory while in charge of the Bears. He is 300-197 as the program's all-time leader in coaching victories.

McClure, a senior guard, shot 8-for-17 from the field, including five of the team's six 3-point baskets. He also pulled in a game-high 14 rebounds for his first career double-double. McClure reached the 20-point mark for the third time this season after doing so only once in 100 career games entering the season.

Makai Mason tied a season-high with 18 points for the Bears (4-2).

For George Mason (2-5), Otis Livingston II poured in 26 points and Jarred Reuter racked up 15 points. The team's other three starters combined for 12 points.

George Mason took a brief lead early in the second half before McClure had six points during a key stretch as the Bears started to pull away.

Neither team shot well in a foul-plagued game as both teams finished with more made free throws than successful field goals. Baylor made 24 of 29 free throws, while George Mason was 23 of 31 at the foul line.

Baylor's Tristan Clark, who scored 27 points a day earlier, fouled out with seven points.

The choppiness of the game was reflected in that Baylor had nine assists on 21 baskets.

Baylor, which was coming off a semifinal loss to Mississippi on Friday, led 28-27 at halftime. Both teams shot 33.3 percent from the field in the first half.

The teams combined to shoot 3-for-20 on first-half 3-pointers. George Mason finished 2-for-14 from long range.

Baylor has won 14 of its last 15 regular-season tournament games.

It was the first-ever meeting between the teams.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
George Mason   Baylor
Otis Livingston II 26 Scoring King McClure 27
Ian Boyd 1 Assists King McClure 4
Justin Kier 6 Rebounds King McClure 14
Jarred Reuter 11 Free Throws Made Makai Mason 8
Justin Kier 2 Steals King McClure 3
Jaire Grayer 2 Blocks Tristan Clark 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
George Mason 61 36.7 2-14 23-31 5 20 2 4 14
Baylor 72 38.9 6-26 24-29 9 31 5 6 13