Comeback Falls Just Short Against Oral Roberts

Sunday, November 25

Rochester, Mich.

Noon

James Madison University

5-3

Oral Roberts

3-6

OT 1

James Madison

Oral Roberts

11/25/2018 6:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score @JMUMBasketball JMU MBB on Instagram Box Score

ROCHESTER, Mich. - James Madison erased a 13-point deficit in the final four minutes to force overtime on Sunday afternoon, but Oral Roberts went on to prevail in overtime, handing the Dukes a 78-69 loss in the final game of the Men Against Breast Cancer Oakland Hoops Challenge at the Blacktop at the O'Rena.

After the Golden Eagles (3-6) took a 57-44 lead with 4:04 to play, the Dukes (5-3) ripped off a 19-6 run across the final 3:16, including steals on Oral Roberts' final two possessions to force overtime at 63-63.

In the extra period, however, the short-handed Dukes would hit just two of their nine field goals as Oral Roberts knocked down 11 of its 12 free throws as the Golden Eagles pulled away for the win.

For the game, JMU shot just 35.8 percent (19-of-53) from the floor, connecting on just four of its 18 three-pointers as the Golden Eagles sank 23 of 54 (42.6 percent) field goals to hold the Dukes at bay and outrebounded JMU by a 42-28 margin.

Sophomore guard Matt Lewis matched his season high with 21 points to lead the Dukes on the day, hitting all 11 of his free throws and adding a career-high five steals and three assists across 41 minutes of turnover-free play. Senior guard Stuckey Mosley added 19 points and sophomore guard Darius Banks chipped in 12, all after halftime.

QUOTING COACH ROWE
"This was a tough one. We can't get beat on the boards like that or get away from the game plan like that and still expect to win a game. We need to get back to work this week and clean up a lot if we want to make the steps forward that we're capable of."

QUICK HITS
- Sophomores Matt Lewis and Darius Banks combined to go a remarkable 21-of-21 from the free throw line for the game, helping the Dukes go 23-of-23 from the stripe in the second half.
- The Dukes racked up 13 steals on the game, tied for their third-best performance of the season.
- Senior guard Stuckey Mosley went 4-of-9 from behind the arc, giving him five games with four three-pointers in the first eight contests of the year.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will return home this week, welcoming Coppin State to the Convocation Center for a 7 p.m. bout on Thursday, Nov. 29.