Seniors A.J. Davis and Devon Moore both scored 20 points as third-seeded James Madison edged sixth-seeded William and Mary 72-67 in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Colonial Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by Jani-King, at the Richmond Coliseum.
The Dukes (18-14) advance to meet No. 2 Delaware in the semifinals on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. It will be JMU’s first appearance in the semifinals since 2001. The Tribe finishes with a 13-17 mark.
W&M led 56-49 midway through the second half before JMU went on a 17-2 run, with Rayshawn Goins contributing eight points, as the Dukes went up 66-58 with 3:40 left.
The Tribe would not go away as Marcus Thornton hit a three-pointer and Kyle Gaillard made a layup to make it 66-63 with 2:30 left. Andre Nation converted a layup with 2:07 left to push the Dukes’ lead to 68-63 with just over two minutes remaining. Following the play, Nation received a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct, which was his fifth foul. Thornton hit both free throws to make it a one-possession game at 68-65.
W&M missed a layup with 1:40 left and Goins, a third-team All-CAA selection, scored inside with just over a minute left to extend the lead to 70-65. A Thornton layup with 47 seconds left pulled W&M within three at 70-67. JMU turned the ball over with 15 seconds remaining, giving the Tribe one last shot. Thornton missed a three-pointer with six seconds left. Ron Curry grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and hit both free throws to make the final 72-67.
Goins finished with 13 points and six boards for the Dukes. Moore, a third-team All-CAA pick, had eight assists to go along with his 20 points, while Davis snagged four steals.
Thornton, a second-team All-CAA honoree, led all scorers with 25 points. Brandon Britt chipped in 17 and Tim Rusthoven tallied 15 for the Tribe. W&M went 18 for 24 from the free throw line (75%).
Rebounding proved to be a big difference in the game as JMU had a 34-23 advantage on the glass. The Dukes had 14 offensive rebounds which they turned into 17 points.
It was a streaky first half. The Tribe hit six of seven free throws in the first 7:13 to build an 11-7 advantage. The Dukes put together a 10-2 spurt, with Davis hitting eight straight points, as JMU took a 17-13 lead. W&M scored the next 12 points to take a 25-17 lead. The Dukes used a 12-2 streak to go up 29-27 with just over three minutes left in the half. JMU took a one-point lead to the locker room at 34-33. Davis put up 13 and Moore added 12 in the half, while the Dukes scored 14 points off eight Tribe turnovers. W&M went 10 for 15 from the line.
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