Dukes’ Trip to Michigan as Disappointing as All Other Trips to Michigan

Julius Wells performed well in the loss.

Just like it did against Georgia State, poor shooting down the stretch prevented JMU from snagging a win against Eastern Michigan. The Eagles prevailed 75-64 against a Dukes team that was shorthanded due to illness, injuries, and a family commitment (vehement opposition to having their son set foot in the awful state of Michigan perhaps?). Despite dressing only 8 players, the Dukes rallied to take the lead about halfway through the second half. Unfortunately, Eastern Michigan’s Brandon Bowdry and his teammates stepped up their game and closed the Dukes out. The loss dropped JMU to 4-4.

In his first game for JMU, Denzel Bowles filled up the box score with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. As we had hoped it would, his insertion into the lineup seemed to open things up for Julius Wells. Wells had 19 points and 11 rebounds on 8 of 16 shooting, but struggled from beyond the arc along with the rest of his teammates. The Dukes finished only 4 of 19 from three point range, which sadly isn’t uncharacteristic. The Dukes are shooting a miserable 26% from long range thus far this season.

All in all, it was a tough loss. Bowles’ well rounded effort and Wells second double-double of the season were both encouraging however. The Dukes definitely could have used the full lineup and I’m anxious to see how Dazz Thornton and Andrey Semenov will play alongside Bowles. Maybe we’ll get a chance to see them Thursday, when JMU heads to NC to take on Gardner-Webb.