FAIRFAX, Va. – Saint Louis' second-half rally came up short in a 68-60 Atlantic 10 Conference loss at George Mason on Thursday.

The Billikens (9-11, 1-6 A-10), who trailed by as much as 12 in the second half, pulled to within five with 6:30 remaining but were unable to get any closer. George Mason improves to 7-12 overall and 2-5 in the league.

Freshman forward Milik Yarbrough and sophomore guard Mike Crawford led the Billikens with 12 points apiece. Yarbrough was 6-of-15 from the field and also gathered a team-leading seven rebounds.

Crawford finished 4-of-10 from the field and 2-of-5 from long range. He converted all four of his free throws.

Shevon Graham led the Patriots with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Corey Edwards (16 points) and Marquise Moore (15 points) also scored in double figures for George Mason, which snapped a five-game skid.

The Billikens led by five with 6:41 to go in the first half, but George Mason took the lead several minutes later and carried a five-point advantage (29-24) into halftime.

SLU, which shot 80 percent (16-20) from the charity stripe, used free throws to claw back in it in the second half. A dunk by Crawford and a pair of free throws by Yarbrough completed a 9-0 run as the Bills trailed 49-55 with 6:30 left. But the Patriots responded by scoring the next two baskets, and their lead never fell below seven the rest of the way.

The Billikens have a quick turnaround as they host Massachusetts on Saturday at Chaifetz Arena. Tip time is scheduled for 3 p.m., and the game will be televised on CBSSN.