Dukes dropped at buzzer

Lack of instant replay stings squad in 63-61 loss to Delaware

Chris Labzda / senior photographer Senior guard/forward Dwayne Broyles drives to the hoop in Saturday's 63-61 conference loss to University of Delaware. Broyles scored a team-high 17 points in the game.

A last-second shot led to another frustrating and emotional loss for JMU Saturday night.

With the game tied at 61-61, University of Delaware forward Herb Courtney positioned himself in the middle of the lane as point guard Mike Slattery put up a fade away jump shot from the left elbow as the game clock counted down. Slattery's shot bounced off the rim and landed in the hands of the unblocked Courtney.

As Courtney quickly gathered himself, he leapt back into the air and put a shot off the backboard that found its way into the net before time expired, giving the Blue Hens a 63-61 victory.

"I wasn't able to see the clock," Courtney said. "I just wanted to put it up as fast I could, hit it off the backboard and give it a chance.

"When I released it, I thought I got it off on time," Courtney added. "It was just a matter of me making it."

Senior guard/forward Dwayne Broyles, the game's leading scorer with 17 points, found himself in disbelief during the postgame press conference.

"I looked up and I saw the ball come off and I saw [Courtney] catch it," Broyles said. "I was falling backwards, and all I could do was watch. I felt helpless.

"I could not get over there to stop it," Broyles continued. "When I saw him catch the ball, I just knew the game was over. It hurts — it hurts bad."

In the huddle before the last-second shot by Courtney, coach Sherman Dillard said he and the team discussed the importance of getting that final stop and closing out the game.

"We did everything we could," Dillard said. "The ball comes off on an angle where Courtney happens to be going in that direction — and [the ball] goes to him."

Courtney's final-second basket could not even be contested by JMU since the team is not fully equipped with an instant replay setup. The Blue Hens on the other hand, does have a system on their home court, leading many fans to wonder if the game was an away contest, if the Dukes could have pushed Delaware to overtime.

The Dukes fell to 4-14 (1-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association) on the season. JMU has managed only one win in its last 11 games.

"I think every game is a compilation of everything that happened from the opening tip-off to the end of the game," Dillard said. "I don't think you can isolate it and say, ‘Well, if we got that one loose ball there, we could have one this game.'"

Dillard added that the team could have done better in various statistical categories, such as making more free throws (17 for 26) and not allowing the Blue Hens to get 19 offensive rebounds.

"But, every game — particularly close games — will come down to finding a way to close it out," Dillard said. "That is when everything is so magnified."

JMU and the Blue Hens each scored 22 points in the second half making for a close game, but what was lost in the emotion of the disappointing loss was a key possession at the end of the first half.

The Dukes were holding for the last shot of the half by passing the ball around and setting up for a designed play. Delaware guard Rulon Washington put pressure on the Dukes and forced a turnover, which he turned into an attempted lay-up. The shot missed, but Blue Hens forward Calvin Smith tipped in the ball with 4 seconds remaining to give Delaware a 41-39 halftime lead.

The two points given up on that possession, along with the other factors throughout the game, ended up being too much for the Dukes to overcome.

"There must be a method in all this madness," Dillard said. "I am giving it my all, and these guys are giving it their all. I can only control the things I can control. That's the only thing that gives me a little bit of sanity throughout this."

Dillard was trying to describe his emotions after the loss, but was having trouble pinpointing the exact feeling. He said you kind of feel like, "I cannot believe that just happened.

"You've got this load on your back," Dillard said. "And, just all of a sudden you crumble. You give into the weight."

The game was tied 12 times, and neither team had larger than a six-point lead during the contest.

JMU received solid performances from senior point guard Chris Williams, junior guard Daniel Freeman and freshman guard Ray Barbosa, all of whom chipped in with nine points apiece.

The Dukes will take on The College of William & Mary in a CAA game at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Williamsburg.

Delaware 63, JMU 61

Delaware (12-7, 6-4)
Wentt 0-3 1-4 1, Madera 0-3 5-6 5, Slattery 3-7 0-1 8, Ames 3-13 1-2 9, Lunn 1-2 4-4 6, Prothro 1-1 0-0 3, Maepa 2-2 0-0 4, Washington 3-7 0-0 9, Courtney 6-11 0-0 13, Smith 2-5 1-2 5, Olawoye 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-54 12-19 63.

JMU (4-14, 1-9)
Cooper 2-6 1-4 5, Broyles 5-13 7-7 17, Freeman 2-6 4-6 9, Williams 4-9 1-3 9, Barbosa 4-11 0-0 9, Clarke 0-0 0-0 0, Greene-Long 0-1 0-0 0, Elgibali 1-2 0-0 3, Johnson 1-4 4-4 7, Cathlin 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 20-54 17-26 61.

Halftime — Delaware 41-39. 3-Point goals — Delaware 9-19 (Washington 3-4, Slattery 2-3, Ames 2-9, Prothro 1-1, Courtney 1-2), James Madison 4-18 (Elgibali 1-2, Freeman 1-2, Johnson 1-2, Barbosa 1-6, Broyles 0-6). Fouled out — Cooper, Lunn. Rebounds — Delaware 38 (Courtney 9), James Madison 31 (Broyles 8). Assists — Delaware 9 (Slattery 6), James Madison 8 (Broyles 3). Total fouls — Delaware 21, James Madison 17. Technicals — James Madison team. A — 3,386.