JMU finishes off GMU in OT

Freeman leads Dukes with 24 points

Amy Paterson / senior photographer Freshman forward Cavell Johnson prepares to inbound the ball during the Dukes overtime win Saturday.

After losing at the buzzer a week earlier on its home court, JMU pulled out a 72-64 overtime victory over Colonial Athletic Association conference rival George Mason University Saturday.

JMU's second-straight victory was paced by junior guard Daniel Freeman's career-high totals of 24 points, nine rebounds and 42 minutes. The Dukes' win included a five-minute overtime period, in which the JMU outscored the Patriots, 8-0, thus sealing the victory of coach Sherman Dillard's squad.

George Mason guard Lamar Butler connected on a 25-foot fall-away 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to tie the game at 62 with a minute remaining. Freeman responded by driving right back down the court and hitting a basket of his own, putting the Dukes back up by 2.

What could have been the real killer, according to Dillard, was the driving lay-up by George Mason guard Terry Reynolds to tie the score at 64 with only five seconds left. The inability to get a defensive stop very well may have been the Dukes' downfall in regulation, but, as Dillard said, the Dukes were not ready to quit.

"A play like that at the end of regulation can really demoralize a team, and I thought for a moment there that we were a little down," Dillard said. "I think the lay-up that [Freeman] made kind of broke the ice, and then I could see our whole posture change. We regained our confidence, got our swagger back, and started to play with the tenacity that we played with for most of the second half."

The defensive effort in the extra period was outstanding as the Dukes held George Mason without a point on the way to a victory in their first overtime game of the season.

"We all decided that we came too far and played too hard to let this one get away from us," senior guard/forward Dwayne Broyles said. "We rallied together and made up our mind that we were gonna win that game."

Freeman said he sensed fatigue played a factor on George Mason's part and talked about the desire that JMU had in overtime.

"I think [the Patriots] were really tired [in overtime], and we really took advantage of that," Freeman said. "We had a little more juice than they did; our gym was really pumping, and we wanted it more than they did."

The first half started out as a game of spurts, in which both teams exchanged scoring runs of anywhere between 6 and 10 points while holding the opposing team scoreless for three and four minutes at a time.

The highlight of the half was at the 12:37 mark when Broyles became the 21st player in JMU basketball history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.The up-and-down half ended with George Mason controlling the glass and stretching its lead to 7 points at 34-27.

However, within five minutes of the second half, the Dukes pulled to within 1 point, and neither team lead by more than 5 for the remainder of regulation.

Both Broyles and Dillard attributed the Dukes' second-half play to outstanding guard play and increased intensity.

"They came out and scored two quick buckets, and then we came right down," Broyles said. "[Freshman guard] Ray [Basrbosa] hit a three, Daniel [Freeman] hit a lay-up, I hit a three; the crowd got into it a little, and we just starting rolling a little."

Throughout the entire second half, it was extremely clear that Freeman had taken over the game and become the Dukes' primary scoring threat.

He played every minute during the second half and overtime while scoring 17 points, many of them on driving lay-ups through the heart of the Patriots' defense anytime they were building momentum.

Dillard praised Freeman for his ability to penetrate continually through the George Mason defense and keep his body under control while avoiding offensive fouls. Most importantly, Dillard said he was impressed with Freeman's ability to finish lay-ups for baskets at key junctures throughout the game.

With the victory, the Dukes upped their record to 6-14 (3-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association), while George Mason fell to 14-7 (7-5 in the CAA).

Following the game, Dillard and Broyles talked about the quality basketball JMU has been able to play recently and gave clear indications that they are by no means ready to throw in the towel.

"When things were going really bad for us, we never quit," Broyles said. "We know what we're capable of; it just seems like now everything is starting to come together, and we're starting to click. It took us a long time, but I can tell that it's finally starting to come together."

While Virginia Military Institute is JMU's next game Monday night at the Convocation Center, the Dukes soon should be able to get a good barometer of how well they match up with the premier teams in the conference. The three teams tied for first in the CAA going into Saturday (Virginia Commonwealth University, Old Dominion University and Drexel University) all will be on the Dukes' schedule in February.