All fury, but no fire
Shots refuse to fall for Dukes despite season-high attendance at the Convocation Center
By John Galle, sports editor
Posted on January 29, 2007

Despite holding George Mason to just under 60 points, the JMU men’s basketball team could not come back from a 17-1 Patriots’ second-half run, losing 59-41 Saturday at the Convocation Center.

In front of 5,151 fans — the largest JMU basketball game attendance of the season thus far — both Madison and Mason were coming off losses to Colonial Athletic Association opponents. JMU couldn’t beat Northeastern on the road, while GMU struggled defensively against Virginia Commonwealth University — but they didn’t struggle in this one.

The Patriots limited the Dukes to 35.7 percent shooting from the floor and just 33.3 percent in the first half. Sophomore guard Joe Posey led JMU with 12 points and was the only Madison player to score in double digits. Posey converted four of 11 field goals and hit 3-of-9 from behind the arc. The loss dropped JMU to 6-14 overall and 3-6 in the CAA, while GMU improved to 11-8 and 5-4.

“We lost to a good basketball team today that played great on defense,” JMU coach Dean Keener said. “And we showed some immaturity on offense.”

In the first half, the Dukes hung with the Patriots in a defensive battle that saw five lead changes. And when GMU found itself in foul trouble early — even Patriots coach Jim Larranaga got called for a technical — players came off the bench and didn’t miss a beat.

“They’re talented, mature and deep,” Keener said. “They can continue to run guys at you.”

In the second half, that’s just what the Patriots did.

After leading 25-19 at halftime, they retained the lead throughout the second half. From 8:13 in the first half to 12:38 remaining in the game, GMU scored 30 points to JMU’s seven.

One of the key difference makers for Mason was junior forward Will Thomas.

“Every night he gets double [or] triple-teamed,” Larranaga said. “He’s great. That’s all I can say. He’s a coach’s dream.”

Thomas, the perennial thorn in JMU’s side, fueled the Patriots offense in the second half when they went on their defining run. He was averaging 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds all-time against the Dukes. In this meeting, Thomas contributed 13 points and tied teammate Folarin Campbell with game highs in rebounds (six) and assists (four). Campbell had a game-high 17 points; GMU’s Jordan Carter and Louis Birdsong rounded out the double-figure scoring for the Patriots with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

“In the first half, we were playing defense, staying active in our zones and playing like we did in our two wins [against Old Dominion and Georgia State],” JMU junior forward Terrance Carter, who had eight points and four rebounds, said. “But then we had a drop-off.”

Keener said his team just wasn’t quite tough enough mentally to work through Mason’s run. It was something the Dukes were able to do against the Monarchs, but couldn’t do against the Patriots.

“We weren’t being as aggressive as we usually are,” JMU freshman point guard Pierre Curtis, who had nine points and three assists, said.

Turnovers also contributed to the drop-off, as GMU — the league’s best scoring defense — derived nearly one-third of its points off turnover possessions (20).

The Patriots had a basic, defensive game plan for the Dukes: stop dribble penetration and contain sophomore forward Juwann James. They found success limiting Madison to 16 points in the paint, while James finished the day with eight points, three blocks and four rebounds.

“We gave up 44 points against VCU in a half,” Larranaga said. “We gave up less than that total tonight.”

The Dukes had less of a response on the scoreboard, taking their 14th loss of the season.

“The effort was worthy of putting us in position to succeed,” Keener said. “Now, it’s just a matter of [finishing] offensively.”

JMU will look to rebound tonight at 7 p.m. when the team takes on Towson in the Convocation Center.