Dukes Fall to Northeastern in Triple-Overtime Heartbreaker

Thursday, February 18

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

19-9, 9-6CAA

Northeastern

15-13, 7-8CAA

OT 1

OT 2

OT 3

Northeastern

James Madison

Dukes Fall to Northeastern in Triple-Overtime Heartbreaker

2/18/2016 11:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Junior forward Yohanny Dalembert notched his fifth double-double of the season, but James Madison dropped a heartbreaking 95-94 decision to Northeastern in triple overtime on Thursday evening at the JMU Convocation Center.

The Dukes fell to 19-9 (9-6 CAA) in the loss but held Northeastern, the top three-point shooting team in the league, to just 37.3% (25-67) shooting from the field and 28.6% (10-35) from behind the arc. The Huskies improved to 15-13 (7-8 CAA) with the win.

Dalembert racked up a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, going 13-of-19 from the field and blocking a career-best five shots. The Port-au-Prince, Haiti, native was one of five Dukes to play at least 43 minutes on the evening, notching a career-high 45.

Senior guard Ron Curry played 47 minutes in his return from injury, tallying 21 points and seven assists while turning the ball over just once. Sophomore guard Joey McLean and junior guard Jackson Kent added 15 and 12, respectively, while Kent also contributed six assists and six boards.

The Dukes had the lead late in regulation and the first overtime, but Northeastern hit a three-pointer and a driving layup to close out the respective periods to keep the game alive. In the second overtime, Northeastern converted a three-point play with 17 seconds left to take an 82-80 lead, but Curry hit a twisting layup in the lane to force the third extra frame.

In triple overtime, JMU held the Huskies without a made field goal, but a 13-of-15 performance at the free throw line closed the game out, despite 12 points from the Dukes in the period. Northeastern led by as many as five in the last 30 seconds, but JMU cut things to two on a pair of occasions before a buzzer-beating three-pointer from senior guard Winston Grays III yielded the final deficit.

Quincy Ford went for a career-high 36 points for the Huskies after a 10-for-26 night from the field and a 12-for-16 evening at the free throw line. David Walker and Jeremy Miller went for 19 and 18 points, respectively, as Northeastern went 35-of-41 (85.4%) from the charity stripe as a team.

QUOTING COACH BRADY
"Give Northeastern the credit; they made the plays. That was a great college basketball game. We're disappointed, but we're going to bounce back. We're going to watch tape tomorrow, we're going to get ready for the next one and we're going to fight like heck to make JMU proud."

TWEET OF THE GAME

@JMUMBasketball This is the toughest team I've seen in my 4 years here. Win or lose, these games will serve us well in the post season!
— Andrew Sharp (@Sharp3003634) February 19, 2016

CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOK
Senior guard Ron Curry returned from injury to continue his march up JMU's career scoring list, as his 21 points gave him 1,472 for his career. The tally moves him past Juwann James (1,456; 2005-09) and Pat Dosh (1,458; 1974-78) into sixth all-time as a Duke. William Davis (1988-93) sits in fifth with 1,505 career points.

OVERTIME HISTORY
Thursday's contest marked just the fourth triple-overtime game in JMU's history. Most recently, the Dukes dropped a 95-88 decision at Hofstra during the 2004-05 campaign. The two teams just missed tying JMU's record: a quadruple-overtime contest against Valdosta State on Jan. 11, 1974.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Junior forward Tom Vodanovich picked up this steal and fast break layup with two minutes left in double overtime to stake the Dukes a two-point lead at a crucial juncture.

AROUND THE CAA
After Thursday's action, JMU is tied with Towson for fourth place in the league with a 9-6 mark. Just three games separate the top five teams after top-ranked UNCW's 87-69 loss at William & Mary. The Tribe's win puts them in sole possession of third, one game behind second-place Hofstra, which came back to down Towson in an 84-82 decision.

UP NEXT
The Dukes remain at home this weekend when they play host to Delaware at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20.

Saturday is Duke Dog Reading Day at the Convo, with thousands of local elementary schoolers receiving tickets to the game. With heavily-increased traffic expected, make sure to check out parking information for the contest.