FARMVILLE, Va. (JMU Athletics) – Longwood made 36 free throws to down James Madison men’s basketball, 82-72, on Wednesday evening at the Joan Perry Brock Center.
JMU (2-2) shot 46.6 percent from the floor, but Longwood (2-1) made 36 free throws in 42 attempts, while the Dukes made just 10 in 18 attempts. The Dukes made more field goals (27-21) and three-pointers (8-4) than the Lancers.
Bradley Douglas led all players with 22 points and seven assists. Cliff Davis scored 16 points and corralled six rebounds, while Eddie Ricks III tallied a career-best 12 rebounds while scoring nine points.
Five Lancers scored in double figures, as Redd Thompson Jr., Elijah Tucker, Jacoi Hutchinson, and Johan Nziemi all had 12 points. Nzemi also led Longwood with eight rebounds.
How It Happened
First Half: Longwood 44, JMU 35
• It was a tight battle early as JMU held a slim 16-15 lead at the under-12 timeout.
• A layup from Paul Jones III kept the Dukes within one (30-29), but a 7-0 spurt from the Lancers pushed their lead back to 35-27.
• Longwood went into the half up 44-35 after Douglas made a layup with 30 seconds left.
Second Half: Longwood 38, JMU 37
• The Lancers started the second half on a 17-5 run, pushing their lead to as many as 20 (63-43) with just over 10 minutes left.
• The Dukes trimmed the lead to 11 on a Douglas three-point play, but Longwood responded with five straight to extend the lead to 71-55.
• A free-throw from Ricks III made the score 75-68 with 1:26 left, but the Lancers held off the Dukes for the win.
Game Notes
• Longwood won its first game in four tries against JMU. The Dukes still lead the all-time series 6-3.
• Douglas finished with 22 points, the ninth time in his Division I career with 20 or more points.
• The 36 free throws made by Longwood were the second-most allowed in program history, only trailing Towson’s 39 made free throws in 2014.
• Ricks III’s 12-rebound effort is a career-best, and the fourth time in his career he has finished with 10 or more rebounds.
Up Next
JMU remains on the road as it will take on LIU on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m.
— JMU Athletics —
