CHARLOTTE AMALIE, Virgin Islands -- — Ben Sheppard's 24 points helped Belmont defeat George Mason 66-62 on Saturday night.

Sheppard was 10-of-14 shooting and 3 of 6 from the free-throw line for the Bruins (2-3). Cade Tyson shot 6 for 14, including 1 for 4 from beyond the arc to add 14 points. Ja'Kobi Gillespie recorded 13 points and shot 3 of 8 from the field and 6 for 6 from the line.

The Patriots (2-3) were led by De'Von Cooper, who posted 15 points. Josh Oduro added 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks for George Mason. In addition, John Ojiako finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Gillespie put up nine points in the first half for Belmont, who led 30-26 at the break. Sheppard scored 16 points down the stretch in the second half to help lead Belmont to a four-point victory.

NEXT UP

Up next for Belmont is a Sunday matchup with Georgia State on the road, while George Mason hosts Queens on Saturday.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.