JMU Lets One Slip Away Against Delaware

JMU fell to the Delaware Blue Hens 78-74 in the Convo yesterday. JMU now finds itself at 6-11, (1-2). It was Delaware’s fourth straight win, moving them to 10-7, (2-0) on the season. Devon Saddler and Davon Usher led the way for Delaware, scoring 25 and 21 points respectively. Andre Nation was the high scorer for the Dukes, finishing with 22 points. The Dukes started out hot and controlled the game for much of the first half. Unfortunately, the experienced Blue Hens hung in there all afternoon and battled back to take the lead after the break. JMU made a late run and was in position to tie it late with a Ron Curry drive. He lost the ball (or was hammered, depending on your perspective) and the Blue Hens closed it out. Game over.

The Glass Half Full Perspective

Delaware has a senior laden roster primed to battle for the CAA crown. JMU is the youngest team in the league, and had arguably its most talented player suiting up for only the second time this season. Yet the Dukes could have (and really should have) won. All five starters scored in double figures. Taylor Bessick, a guy we think could be the most important piece for the Dukes in conference play, had his first career double double. He helped JMU control the paint, where the Dukes outscored UD 34-23. After a brutal night rebounding the ball against Charleston, JMU won the battle of the boards 49-40. And Andre Nation. Oh Andre Nation. He showed yesterday that there is very little he can’t do. Jumpers. Drives. Post moves. He’s got all of them. There really was a lot to love about yesterday’s game. Yes, the result was disappointing. If you don’t think the Dukes have potential after watching yesterday’s game though, then I don’t know what to tell you.

The Glass Half Empty Perspective

JMU gave one away by letting UD dictate the pace after the half. And the Dukes couldn’t shoot from long range, going 4 for 20 from three point range. And they shot only 66% from the charity stripe. And they’re bench scored 2 points. That’s it. Jackson Kent went 1-8 and was the only bench player to get a bucket. That’s pretty rough. The Dukes simply need more production from the secondary players. Yes, they’re all freshmen, but they’ve got to step up. Because you simply shouldn’t lose home games when all of your starters score in double figures. At least not if you expect to compete with the top half of the league.

The No Call

Maybe it’s just me, but it sure seems like fans of CAA hoops spend a disproportionate amount of time complaining about the quality of officiating. And I’m talking league wide. Yesterday however, JMU fans were screaming the most. The screams were particularly loud after Ron Curry failed to draw a foul driving to the bucket late with a chance to tie. The refs said he lost it. Fans said he got hacked. It sure looked like he got hacked. But they refs didn’t call it. So get over it folks. Sorry to be blunt, but really, let’s move on. JMU missed 16 three pointers. The Dukes got only 2 points from the bench. They came out flat after the half and let UD go on a 9-0 run to take the lead. Bad call or not, JMU let the game get away.