UNCW Buzzer-Beater Tips Dukes at Home

Thursday, January 20

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

11-5,2-3CAA

UNCW

10-5,4-0CAA

UNCW

James Madison

1/20/2022 11:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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HARRISONBURG, Va. - UNCW guard Jaylen Sims hit a fadeaway three-pointer at the final buzzer to tip James Madison on Thursday night, as the Dukes dropped a 71-70 heartbreaker in men's basketball action at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

The Dukes (11-5, 2-3) led for nearly the entire second half, but UNCW (10-5, 4-0) closed the game on an 8-1 run, delivering the winning basket off a sideline inbounds play with 2.1 seconds left.

Graduate student Takal Molson led the Dukes on the evening, racking up 13 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double, adding four assists, two blocks and a steal across 36 minutes.

Redshirt junior Vado Morse added 25 points with five three-pointers, while redshirt freshman Justin Amadi tallied 12 points and nine boards.

Jaylen Fornes and Trazarien White paced UNCW with 16 points each, while Sims tallied 11 - including the game-winner - to go with five rebounds and five assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Dukes scored the opening five points of the contest, but most of the first half was a back-and-forth battle, with JMU's 5-0 lead marking the largest advantage for either side before halftime.

JMU opened up a 30-26 lead with 4:07 to play, but a cold stretch allowed the Seahawks to score the final five points of the half and take a 31-30 edge into the break.

Second Half
After the two teams traded layups out of halftime, JMU ripped off 13 straight points, including eight from Morse, as the Dukes burst out to a 45-33 lead inside the opening five minutes of the second half.

UNCW would respond, however, putting together runs of six straight and nine straight points as the Seahawks chipped away. With 1:53 to play, a Molson layup gave JMU a 69-63 lead, but UNCW would score eight points across its final three possessions.

The Dukes nearly forced a turnover to seal the contest, but the Seahawks dove on the ball and called time out with 2.1 seconds to play to set up the winning shot.

QUICK HITS
- Vado Morse scored 25 points, his highest total of the season and fourth 25-point performance of his career.
- The Dukes hit 14 of their 19 field goals in the second half, good for a 73.7% clip.

UP NEXT
The Dukes get right back to work with another stern test over the weekend, welcoming College of Charleston to Harrisonburg for a 4 p.m. matchup on Saturday, Jan. 22. On Thursday night, the Cougars dropped a 74-67 decision at Towson to fall to 9-7 (1-3) on the season.