Delaware Meets the Press
If it’s possible to see a basketball team reach its lowest and highest points of the season in a single game, then that might be what we saw in JMU’s victory over Delaware. The Dukes beat the Blue Hens 77-71 on the road yesterday. JMU was getting blown out and was down by as many as 19 points in the second half, before moving to a full court press and staging a furious rally for the win.
To say the defense was poor in the first half, would be a bit of an undertatement. An understatement like saying that UD football coach KC Keeler is a bit of a whiner. There was no defense at all. Delaware shot, and made, uncontested shot after uncontested shot. It was ugly. The second half was a completely different story however. Coach Brady had the team apply full court pressure, it rattled Delaware, JMU started getting turnovers, and before you knew it a Denzel bucket put the Dukes on top and the Dukes closed it out.
Anyone who was puzzled by this season’s JMU team heading into this game, probably is even more confused after it. I guess you could look at the game and come away with different conclusions. Some might say going down by 19 to a middle of the pack CAA team just shows that JMU is underperforming or simply not that good. Others might say that coming back from 19 down on the road is evidence of this team’s character and a sign that they’re ready to compete. The choice is yours I guess. I’m still stumped, but I’m leaning toward the latter of the two options.
General confusion aside, a few things were pretty clear. Denzel Bowles was the best player on the court. He finished with 26 points and showed he can score from pretty much anywhere inside 17 feet. He banged for buckets down low, hit hook shots, knocked down turnaround jumpers, and slammed home dunks. It was his 5th 20 point effort in the last 6 games. Julius Wells also had a very strong game. Instead of just bombing away from long range like he might have done last year if the Dukes were down big, he took smart shots and drew fouls driving to the basket. And he was a perfect 9 for 9 from the line after he was fouled. I’ve been really impressed with his play lately. He just seems like a smarter, more confident ball player.
JMU is back in action Wednesday night against William & Mary. If the team that showed up in the second half against Delaware comes to play, it could be a laugher. If not, it could be a repeat of the first game against the Tribe. Fingers crossed.
Photo taken from JMUsports.com
I agree that this was a crazy game. The team was totally infuriating in the first half yet it the comeback was inspiring. The comeback was great to see. I enjoyed the press and I was glad to see the team go hard to the hole and get fouled. I am disturbed that we started the game the way we should: getting the ball to Denzel. However, once we didn’t go up the team appeared to abandon this strategy. Especially, after Denzel missed a few easy ones. I am a big fan of the strategy of getting it to Denzel early and often because it opens everything else up. The team plays the best when working off this strategy.
I’m just trying to convince myself that it was a wake-up call or a turning point for the season. What’s so frustrating is that when the light actually goes on and the guys pick up the defensive intensity, the results are nearly always good.
Brady said that he was pleased with Denzel’s shots in the first half and that if he continued to get good looks, the points would come. I agreed and it’s clear that the strategy paid off in the 2nd half.