Veterans spark comeback, fall short of victory

Men's Basketball

Aside from the heartbreaking 63-61 loss to the University of Delaware Saturday, coach Sherman Dillard was proud of his team's effort, especially his veteran players.

Senior guard Chris Williams and senior guard/forward Dwayne Broyles combined for 15 of JMU's 22 second-half points and provided a strong defensive presence throughout the game.

Despite being hampered by an injured leg and severe groin pull, Williams scored nine points and held All Colonial Athletic Association guard Mike Slattery scoreless in the second half. Williams' constant ability to penetrate through the defense and either finish with a lay-up or dish to an open teammate displayed what Dillard described as quintessential point guard play.

"Chris (Williams) did a phenomenal job tonight against one of the best point guards in our league (Slattery)," Dillard said. "He was one of our biggest concerns coming into this game, and Chris played great defense on him. Despite limitations on the offensive end, Chris utilized the screens that we set for him and was very effective."

For much of the 2003-'04 campaign, the Dukes' offense has relied heavily on the steady play of forward/guard Broyles. Saturday was no different, as Broyles contributed 17 points and eight rebounds.

Broyles got to the foul line early and often, shooting a perfect seven of seven from the charity stripe, while pacing the JMU offense.

According to Dillard, similar mistakes that were committed by the Dukes were especially crucial in such a close game.

"When you get outrebounded, miss foul shots and commit turnovers in close games like these, those kinds of things are magnified," Dillard said.

Another strong backcourt performance was by junior guard Daniel Freeman.

Freeman scored nine points in a starting role, none bigger than the two foul shots that tied the game at 61 with 19.5 seconds remaining. Similar to his backcourt partner Williams, Freeman played great defense against an All CAA guard throughout the entire game.

While matched up with the conference's leading scorer and sharpshooter Mike Ames, Freeman held the CAA standout to nine points (two points in the second half) on three of 13 shooting.

"Ames is a great shooter and he really hurt us last time while scoring 28 points, so I tried not to play help defense off of him and contest every shot," Freeman said.

After such a strong performance against a solid backcourt, JMU's guards proved they can play with anyone within the conference.

University of Delaware coach Dave Henderson and Slattery heavily praised JMU's backcourt intensity and toughness throughout the night, and recognized JMU as the most physically tough team Delaware has played this season.

But, the Dukes aren't looking to hang with teams — they need to win games. The College of William & Mary poses JMU's next opportunity.