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Late bucket lifts ODU over JMU

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Dukes blow four-point lead in final minutes

Staff Report
JMU sports: www.jmusports.com

Ben Finney’s layup with 13 seconds to play broke the game’s ninth tie and lifted Old Dominion a 74-72 Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball victory over James Madison Wednesday.

The host Monarchs outscored JMU 11-5 over the game’s final three minutes and raised their overall record to 11-5 and their conference mark to 3-1.

JMU, which had used a 9-0 scoring run to take a 67-63 lead with 4:10 left in the game, fell to 7-7 overall and to 1-3 in the CAA.

JMU went in front for the final time, 71-68, on sophomore forward Julius Wells’ (Toledo, Ohio/Libbey) seventh three-point field goal of the game with 1:52 remaining but scored only on a free throw the rest of the way.

Old Dominion got to within 71-70 on a Kent Bazemore basket at 1:35 and tied the score at 72-72 on a Frank Hassell dunk at 0:46 after JMU junior forward Denzel Bowles (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) hit on one of two free throws with 1:06 to play.

JMU missed on shots with 26 and 21 seconds left with Hassell rebounding the second attempt, and Bazemore got the ball to Finney for the decisive field goal.

On JMU’s ensuing possession, Wells, who finished with a game-high 29 points, had a three-point attempt from the top of the key bounce off the rim with Old Dominion running down the rebound in the right corner as time expired.

Wells, Bowles and senior guard Pierre Curtis (Denver, Colo./East) combined for 57 JMU points while Old Dominion put four players in double figures in scoring.

Wells tied his season scoring high while hitting on 10 of 16 shots overall and seven of 12 three-point tries. He also had six rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes.

Bowles also played 39 minutes and had 17 points. He hit on seven of 13 shots and had seven rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

Curtis, who made his JMU-record 105th career start, finished with 11 points, four rebounds and five assists in 35 minutes.

Old Dominion scored the game’s first six points and led by as many as eight points (20-12 at 8:51) during the opening half before JMU rallied behind Wells and Bowles. Wells had 16 first-half points, including 12 on three-pointers, and Bowles 10 as the Dukes took a 31-30 halftime lead. Wells had three three-pointers and a dunk between the 8:34 and 4:51 marks of the half with the third three-pointer pulling JMU into a 25-25 tie.

A Bowles jumper gave the Dukes a 27-25 lead at 3:57, and his field goal at 3:17 gave JMU a 29-25 edge. Old Dominion’s Gerald and Bowles traded field goals before the Monarchs’ Keyon Carter banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to get his team to within 31-30.

Old Dominion scored the first seven points of the final half and stayed in front until a jumper in the lane by junior guard Ben Louis (Melbourne, Australia/St. Francis Xavier) pulled JMU into a 49-49 tie with 11:05 left. A field goal by senior forward Dazzmond Thornton (Denver, Colo./East) put JMU up 51-49 at the 10:18 mark, but Old Dominion went back in front on a Bazemore three-point play and led 63-58 on a Bazemore jumper with 5:50 left.

Two Curtis free throws at 5:31, a Bowles dunk at 5:09, a Wells three-pointer at 4:42 and two Curtis free throws gave JMU its 67-63 margin with 4:10 remaining.

Bazemont hit on nine of 11 shots and led Old Dominion with 19 points. The Monarchs shot 48 percent (31-64) overall but only 13 percent (2-15) from three-point range.

JMU shot 46 percent (26-57) overall and 38 percent (8-21) from three-point range.

JMU returns home Saturday (Jan. 9) for a 2 p.m. CAA game against Towson. Saturday’s game will be televised by regional cable affiliate Comcast SportsNet Middle Atlantic.

  

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