FAIRFAX, Va. – Saint Louis closed the regular season with an 86-57 loss at George Mason Saturday in Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball action at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va.

Despite the loss, the A-10 regular-season co-champion Billikens (27-4, 15-3 A-10) are the No. 1 seed in next week's A-10 Men's Basketball Championship in Pittsburgh. Their first game in the tournament is slated for Friday at 10:30 a.m. CT against either Fordham or George Washington.

On Saturday, George Mason (23-8, 11-7 A-10) used a dominant second half to pull away, shooting 73 percent from the field after the break and outscoring Saint Louis 43-23 in the final 20 minutes.

Saint Louis was led by Dion Brown's 13 points, while Kellen Thames added 12 and Brady Dunlap contributed eight points. The Billikens finished the game shooting 39.7 percent from the field and 4-of-24 from 3-point range.

Saint Louis led briefly early after baskets from Brown and Trey Green helped the Billikens build a 5-0 advantage. George Mason responded with a steady run and took control late in the first half. The Patriots closed the opening period on a surge and carried a 43-34 lead into halftime.

It was all Patriots in the second half and they cruised to the 29 point win.