Men's Hoops Falls to Valparaiso in Overtime

Sunday, November 27

Savannah, Ga.

12 p.m.

James Madison University

6-2,0-0Sun Belt

Valparaiso

3-4,0-0MVC

OT 1

Valparaiso

James Madison

11/27/2022 5:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Valparaiso guard Nick Edwards hit an off-balance shot with 1.9 seconds left in overtime to hand James Madison a tough 81-79 loss on Sunday afternoon, closing out both teams' weekend at the Hostilo Community Classic.

The Dukes (6-2) dropped their first game of the weekend, shooting just 40.7% (22-54) from the field on the day, while Valparaiso hit at a 50% (33-66) clip while outrebounding JMU by a 41-32 margin.

The contest was remarkably close throughout, with neither team ever leading by more than six and 11 lead changes - mostly in the final 25 minutes.

Sophomore guard Terrence Edwards was stellar throughout, hitting six of 10 shots and nine of 10 free throws on his way to 21 points and six rebounds, while only turning the ball over once across 37 minutes.

Graduate guard Takal Molson added 18 points off the bench, while graduate forward Mezie Offurum had 12 points, his seventh straight double-digit scoring performance.

Forward Ben Krikke led the way for Valparaiso, hitting 11 of 17 shots to finish with 23 points and seven rebounds on the day. The Dukes were also able to hit 30 of 42 (71.4%) free throws in the loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
After JMU scored the first five points of the contest, the teams settled into a back-and-forth affair. It took until the 5:50 mark for a 6-0 JMU run gave them a 29-23 lead - their largest of the game - before back-to-back threes from the Beacons reeled JMU in.

The Dukes used four free throws in the final 90 seconds to push their lead out to 37-33, but Valparaiso got a buzzer-beating three-pointer from the corner to send things to the break at 37-36.

Second Half
The second half saw seven lead changes itself, with neither team ever going ahead by more than four. The Dukes took a 67-63 lead with 5:06 to play, but Valparaiso immediately responded with back-to-back buckets.

After a pair of free throws from Offurum tied things at 72 with 1:33 to play, neither team found a point until the Beacons got a turnaround jumper in the lane with 10 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Molson was able to grab a loose ball in a scrum and sink a tough baseline jumper to force the extra period.

Overtime
The Dukes started slow in OT, falling behind 78-75 with less than two minutes left, but Offurum got a thunderous dunk in transition before sinking two free throws with 26 seconds left to tie things at 79-79. Valparaiso ran the clock down on the final possession, however, getting a difficult driving shot to fall with 1.9 seconds left, while JMU's final off-balance three-pointer in traffic fell short.

QUICK HITS
- Both Terrence Edwards and Takal Molson were named to the Hostilo Community Classic All-Tournament Team for their performances over the weekend.
- This was the Dukes' first overtime game since a 78-77 loss at UNCW on Feb. 19, 2022.
- Both the 15 ties and 11 lead changes were the most in any JMU game this season.
- The Dukes got 30 points from their bench on Sunday, the sixth time this year they have hit that mark in a game.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will finally return home this week after six games on the road, welcoming Eastern Kentucky to the Atlantic Union Bank Center for a 7 p.m. matchup on Friday, Dec. 2. EKU is currently 4-3 on the season and will arrive in Harrisonburg for their first game in nine days, having beaten Brescia in a 122-84 victory on Nov. 23.

Last season, JMU battled for a 79-78 win at EKU on Nov. 16, getting a tip-in from graduate Charles Falden with six seconds to play to escape with the one-point victory.