Dukes Lose Close One to Towson

JMU lost to Towson 69-66 on Senior Night in the Convo. It was a game that the Dukes could have, and probably should have, won. Unfortunately, JMU missed free throws down the stretch (and throughout the entire game really), while Towson shot lights out from the stripe. The Tigers were an incredibly 30 or 31 from the free throw line. JMU only managed to make 17 of 26. Ballgame. The loss eliminates any chance of JMU finishing at .500 in league play. The Dukes are now 11-18 overall and 6-9 in the CAA. Towson moved to 21-9 and 12-3. Here are a few quick thoughts on the game.

Free Throws and Rebounds

This was the sort of game that coaches will use an an example for years. Towson had a tough time shooting the ball, largely due to the Dukes’ defense. However, on a night when they shot just 33% from the floor, the Tigers were still able to grind out a win. They did it by winning the battle of boards, getting to the line, and hitting the freebies once they got there. Towson had a 42-29 edge in rebounds. And that was no typo above. The Tigers really did hit 30 of 31 free throws. That equated to 97% and a big win on the road.

Semenov’s Send Off

This was the home finale for both Christian Pierce and Andrey Semenov. Pierce, a walk-on, was given the start and actually played tough defense on reigning CAA Player of the Year Jerrelle Benimon for a few minutes. Like all walk-ons, Pierce played an important role on the team that usually goes overlooked. So it was nice to hear the crowd give him a bit of an ovation in his limited time on the floor.

Andrey Semenov has earned major minutes his entire JMU career and played like he really didn’t want to leave the Convo with a loss. He knocked down 6 threes and led the Dukes with 22 points. His hot shooting in the first half, helped JMU get out to a  10 point lead. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be and the Dukes let it slip away. Andrey has battled injuries his entire JMU career. As a result, he’s redshirted twice and been with JMU for six years. It’s tough not to wonder what might have been, had Andrey been healthy for four straight years. Regardless, he’s had a heck of run in a JMU uniform and we’ll miss seeing him play in the Convo.

Obligatory and Obvious Jerrelle Benimon is Good Statement

Jerrelle Benimon was selected as the CAA Player of the Year last year. With all due respect to William & Mary’s Marcus Thornton, Benimon deserves to repeat this year. He’s just a tremendous basketball player. I don’t really know what else to say. He poured in 28 points to go along with 16 rebounds. And I actually thought JMU defended him pretty well, limiting him to a respectable 9 for 19 from the field. On a night where he wasn’t dominant shooting the ball, he still made a number of key plays and pulled down huge rebounds when Towson needed them. And he went 9 for 10 from the line.

Moving On

Towson dominated JMU in the first match-up between the two teams. Last night, JMU looked every bit Towson’s equal. It was a game that the Dukes probably should have won. Twice the Dukes got out to double digit leads, and twice they let Towson back in it. With the game on the line in the closing minutes, JMU’s youth and inexperience shined through. Cooke, Curry, and Nation all played pretty well. They all also missed huge free throws down the stretch. And the entire Dukes team had some questionable shot selection with the game on the line. The Dukes have been able to close out tight games, by going to the rack. They eventually went to the hole late, but not until after trying to shoot their way back from long range. They caught every break imaginable drawing fouls and collecting rebounds off of missed free throws. They just couldn’t hit the shots from the line. Except when they were trying to intentionally miss that is. Tough loss, but one that JMU can grow from. Maybe we’ll get a rematch in Baltimore.