Win Over CofC Moves JMU to 2-0 in CAA Play

JMU defeated the College of Charleston by the score of 61-50. It was the first road game of CAA play for the Dukes. The win got them to 9-6 overall and a perfect 2-0 in the league. CofC fell to 5-10 and 0-2 in the CAA. JMU started off strong working for good looks and knocking down shots to get out to an early lead. Then the Dukes got sloppy and CofC ran off 13 straight points to take the lead. It looked like CofC was ready to break the game wide open. Luckily, JMU got it together late in the fist half and went into the break only down 1 by the score of 26-25.

The second half brought some more consistent play from the Dukes. Led by Ron Curry’s game high 19 points on 6-9 shooting, JMU held off a late charge by CofC to close out the road victory. Andre Nation and Yohanny Dalembert joined Curry in double figures, scoring 14 and 12 points respectively. The Dukes got beat on the boards, but capitalized on CofC mistakes, scoring 17 points off turnovers. Defensively JMU’s zone was very effective and helped hold the Cougars to 38% shooting from the field. Overall it was a good win that JMU sorely needed with two tough games coming up against Northeastern and William & Mary. Here are three quick thoughts on the win.

Curry Stepping Up

Curry was outstanding. That’s really all there is to say. He took control of the offense, penetrating to create his own shot or free up others when the defense collapsed. He got to the line and managed to hit 6 of 9 free throws. He was under control and simply too much for CofC to handle. It was exactly the sort of play JMU needs from the junior point guard during CAA play.

CofC’s Announcers Might Have a Better Understanding of Nation Than Some JMU Fans Do

The CofC broadcast team was raving about Nation’s ability. They were going off on his talent and the way his all around ability can change a game. It was a good reminder to many JMU fans (including us) of how dangerous a player Andre is. He is not a pure scorer, but he can slash to the hoop and create match-up nightmares though. And his defense can absolutely change a game. After some of his off season struggles and somewhat slow transition back into the regular rotation, it was nice to of the announcing crew be reminded of what a difference maker he can be. His game did plenty of talking on its own last night though, as he made smart decisions on the offensive end, took good shots, and set the tone leading the zone defense.

The Long Ball is Still an Achilles Heel But…

JMU shot a respectable 49% from the field tonight. That was dragged down by another awful 2 of 10 night from beyond the arc. This team just can’t hit from three point distance. If we’re looking at the bright side though, the team is cutting back on its attempts. The past two games JMU has gone away from shooting so many three pointers and instead focused on scoring in the paint. The Dukes launched 22 three pointers against High Point and followed that up by attempting 26 against Valpo. They missed most of them. That’s not a recipe for success when a team shoots about 30% over a season. There’s nothing wrong with guys like Nation and Curry shooting just enough to keep their defenders honest, but it’s evident this team isn’t going to win many games bombing away from deep. In this win at Charleston, JMU didn’t shoot as many threes and instead focused on getting good looks close to the basket. The result was 32 points in the paint and a nice win.