JMU Edges Delaware 58-57 To Reach CAA Title Game
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RICHMOND, Va. - A pair of Devon Moore free throws with 3.7
seconds remaining gave No. 3 seed James Madison a 58-57 victory over No. 2 seed
Delaware in the semifinals of the CAA Men's Basketball Championship, presented
by Jani-King. The victory sent the Dukes to their first CAA Championship game
since 1997. JMU scored the game's final seven points in overcoming a six-point
deficit with three minutes remaining.
With the game knotted at 51, Delaware scored six straight
points to regain the lead. Carl Baptiste, who finished with nine points and
nine rebounds, muscled in a lay-up to put the Blue Hens back on top, and he
capped the spurt with a bucket at the 2:54 mark. Andre Nation answered with a three-pointer
from the right wing to draw the Dukes back within three. A pair of A.J. Davis
free throws at the 1:22 mark narrowed the gap to 57-56.
A block from Baptiste with 15 seconds remaining on a Nation
drive preserved the Delaware advantage, but the Dukes got another opportunity following
a Blue Hens' turnover. This time Moore drove the right side of the lane and was
fouled. The senior guard knocked down both free throws to put the Dukes back on
top 58-57 with 3.7 seconds remaining. Delaware had one more chance at it, but
Devon Saddler's 3-pointer from the top of the key as time expired was off the
mark.
Davis led JMU with 16 points and four steals, while Moore produced
14 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Along with scoring 12 points, Nation
turned in an impressive defensive effort against Saddler, the CAA's leading
scorer. Nation blocked five shots and held Saddler to a season-low seven points
on 3-of-14 shooting, ending his 38-game double-digit scoring streak. Jamelle
Hagins turned in his 16th double-double of the season for the Blue Hens with 12
points and 12 rebounds.
JMU opened up its largest lead of the game with a 13-2 run
spanning the end of the first half and the opening two and a half minutes of
the second. A Moore lob to Davis for a fast-break dunk, extended the Dukes'
lead to 35-25 and forced a Delaware timeout less than three minutes into the
frame.
Delaware responded with six straight points to draw back
within four. Saddler recorded his first field goal of the night at the 16:16
mark on a driving lay-up, before Jarvis Threatt fed Hagins for a cutting dunk
to force a JMU timeout and close the gap to 35-31.
With JMU leading 46-41 with 9:15 left, Delaware reeled off
10 straight points, highlighted by the play of Threatt. He scored seven
straight points, including a 3-pointer from the right side to put the Blue Hens
on top at 47-46. A Hagins offensive
putback gave Delaware its largest lead at 51-46 with 6:42 remaining.
The Dukes ripped off five straight points to draw even.
Nation knocked down a pair from the free throw line, before an A.J. Davis steal
led to a fast-break lay-up. On the play, Davis was intentionally fouled, and he
hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to tie the contest at 51 with five minutes
left.
James Madison finished the contest shooting 37.7 percent
(20-of-53) from the field and connected on 70 percent (14-of-20) from the free
throw line. The Dukes finished with 11 steals and seven blocked shots as a
team. Delaware shot 35.7 percent (20-of-56) from the field, while shooting 82.4
percent (14-of-17) from the charity stripe. The Blue Hens held a 45-27
advantage on the glass, but turned the ball over 16 times.
In a nip-and-tuck first half that featured four ties and
eight lead changes, JMU took a 29-25 lead into the break, scoring seven of the
half's final nine points. Kyle Anderson kept the Blue Hens within striking
distance thanks to 11 first-half points. His 3-pointer from the top of the key
at the 2:50 mark gave UD a 23-22 advantage.
Moore answered with back-to-back buckets, including a nifty
scoop shot to beat the shot clock with 1:29 left. A pair of Ron Curry free
throws gave JMU the four-point halftime advantage. Despite shooting 26.9
percent (7-of-26) from the floor with 11 turnovers, the Blue Hens were able to
stay close thanks to a 9-of-11 effort from the free throw line. JMU finished
the opening half at 37 percent (10-of-27) from the field to go with seven
steals.
In the early going, Davis scored seven of the JMU's first
nine points, including a 3-pointer just over five minutes into the contest that
put the Dukes on top 9-6. The Blue Hens pieced together an 8-2 run to take the
lead. Josh Brinkley capped the run with a dunk midway through the opening 20
minutes, giving Delaware a 14-11 advantage.
JMU, which went to six championship finals over an
eight-year stretch from 1990-97, advances to the title game on Monday night
where it will face No. 1 seed Northeastern. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. tip
from the Richmond Coliseum and will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports
Network.
COVERITLIVE IN-GAME BLOG RECAP