Virginia Falls 52-49 at JMU
HARRISONBURG, Va. — For the first time in series history, James Madison (8-3) defeated Virginia (6-4) 52-49 Tuesday evening at Atlantic Union Bank Center. The Dukes held UVA to just 14 points in the first half – the lowest point total in first half by the Cavaliers under the Tony Bennett era.
Jayden Gardner led the Virginia effort with a game-high 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and added a season-high 14 rebounds. Kihei Clark also scored in double-digits, finishing Tuesday’s contest with 11 points after shooting 4-for-10, including 3-for-9 from behind the arc. Clark also dished out three assists moving him into eighth all-time in UVA history with 427 career assists.
Not a single JMU player scored in double figures, but eight different players registered points for the Dukes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams combined to miss the first six field goals of the game before Gardner grabbed an offensive rebound and made a second-chance layup to score the first two points in the first-ever meeting between the two teams in the Dukes’ new arena. UVA leaped out to a 10-2 advantage before JMU closed out the first half on a 22-4 run, which included 15 unanswered points, during the final 11:26 of the opening half. Virginia shot 27 percent (6-for-22) from the field in the first half, while the Dukes shot 40 percent (10-for-25). The Cavaliers had nine first-half turnovers to JMU’s six and the Dukes outscored UVA in the paint 16-6 in the first 20 minutes of play. Gardner led all scorers at the half with six points on 3-of-5 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.
A 12-2 run by the Cavaliers that was capped by a pair of made free throws by Reece Beekman with 2:03 to play ultimately gave UVA its first lead since the 9:18 mark in the first half. Both teams traded baskets on the following two possessions, but the Dukes to ultimately seal the game with a made bucket in the paint to go up 52-49 with 22 seconds to play. A deep 3-point attempt from Clark with six seconds remaining did not find the bottom of the net. The Cavaliers managed to foul JMU with four seconds remaining as the Dukes missed the first attempt of a 1-and-1, but Armaan Franklin’s running shot attempt from the logo at mid-court was off the mark as time expired.
UP NEXT
Virginia returns to action against Fairleigh Dickinson (0-8) in nonconference action on Saturday, Dec. 18. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 2 p.m. on ACC Network.