Clutch Free Throws Propel JMU to Win Over Towson

JMU bounced back after a disappointing loss to Drexel and beat Towson 75-70 tonight. The win moved the Dukes back into second place at 15-12 (9-5). Towson dropped to 14-13 (9-5) and tied with JMU. It also avenged an earlier ugly 73-47 loss at Towson last month. JMU showed once again that it’s a different team in the friendly confines of the Convo. They played with great poise down the stretch and sealed the win by hitting 9 of 10 from the line to close the game. Devon Moore went 8 of 8 from the stripe in the closing minutes. It was quite a strong performance from the senior who entered the game only shooting 73% from the line, a full 11% below what he shot as a freshman.

The Dukes came flying out of the gates tonight. Alioune Diouf, who earned the surprise start, scored 5 quick points to get JMU out to a 5-0 lead. Diouf sparked the Dukes who played nothing like they did in the dreadful 12 point first half against Drexel. The “four guys watching one dude dribble around before launching a three” offensive philosophy was thankfully absent. And as a result the Dukes carried a 35-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Towson turned the tables in the second half however, quickly taking the lead and holding it for much of the half. JMU kept its cool though and wisely went into the paint for key buckets to stop Towson runs multiple times. They did just enough to hang around before making a push in the final 10 minutes. With just over 7:00 to go, Andre Nation hit a big bucket to give JMU the lead. And they never looked back after that. Towson hung around, but Devon Moore demanded the ball and calmly hit free throw after free throw to seal the win. He finished with 13 points and 10 assists on the night. A.J. Davis led the way with 17 points and Rayshawn and Ron Curry also reached double-figures for the Dukes.

JMU’s poor shooting let one get away from them Sunday night against Drexel. Even with the horrific 12 point first half, they still hung in there and made a game of it after the break. Tonight they showed that same never say die attitude, but with far better results. To fight back and earn a come from behind win this late in the season is great. To do against a team that embarrassed JMU just a few weeks ago, is even better. It’s only one game, but it was encouraging. And we’ll close with our standard broken record synopsis of the CAA and its upcoming tournament. It’s up for grabs. Nights like tonight prove that JMU has as good as shot as any team to take it.