WASHINGTON — Jalen Haynes had 22 points to lead George Mason to a 74-64 victory over Saint Joseph's in an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament semifinal on Saturday.
The second-seeded Patriots will play No. 1 seed VCU in the title game on Sunday with an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament up for grabs. George Mason is aiming for its first tournament championship since joining the conference in 2013. VCU, which became a member in 2012, has won it twice.
The Patriots made six trips to the NCAA Tournament as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association from 1989-2011. They advanced to the Final Four in 2006 where they lost to eventual-champion Florida. The Rams have made 19 appearances in the event and advanced to the Final Four in 2011 as an at-large team before losing to Butler. VCU beat USC in the first First Four game that season as the field grew to 68 teams.
Haynes also had seven rebounds and six assists for the Patriots (26-7). Darius Maddox hit three 3-pointers and scored 19. K.D. Johnson hit two 3-pointers and scored 12.
The sixth-seeded Hawks (22-12) were led by Xzayvier Brown, who finished with 26 points, six rebounds and two steals. Anthony Finkley totaled 14 points and four steals. Rasheer Fleming added nine points, 12 rebounds and two steals.
George Mason took the lead with 18:01 to go in the first half and never looked back. The score was 37-28 at halftime.
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