Historic Comeback Lifts Dukes Past W&M in Overtime

Saturday, January 15

Williamsburg, Va.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

11-3,2-1CAA

William & Mary

3-13,2-1CAA

OT 1

James Madison

William & Mary

1/15/2022 8:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - James Madison came all the way back from a 23-point first-half deficit at William & Mary on Saturday evening, as the Dukes fought their way to a historic 95-91 win in overtime in men's basketball action at Kaplan Arena.

The Dukes (11-3, 2-1) used a 9-4 run to end regulation, then hit five of eight shots and all three free throws in overtime to top the Tribe (3-13, 2-1) and cap the largest comeback win on record at JMU and the largest comeback win in all of Division I this season.

Redshirt freshman Justin Amadi drove the comeback, racking up a career-high 24 points and 10 boards in his fourth career double-double, while providing the game-tying tip-in with 1.3 seconds left that forced overtime.

JMU trailed 33-10 with 8:58 left in the opening half, but began chipping away, cutting the deficit to 10 at the half on an Amadi dunk, then continued working back throughout the second half before Amadi's tip in the final seconds.

Redshirt junior Vado Morse tallied 22 points, including seven in overtime, in his third straight 20-point performance, while graduate student Charles Falden added 21 to go with six boards, four assists and a steal.

Yuri Covington led the Tribe on the day with 29 points on a 9-of-12 shooting performance.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Tribe stormed out of the gate, hitting their first six three-pointers and 10 of their first 14 field goals to score 18 straight points and put JMU in the deep hole. The Dukes would chip away however, using a 10-1 run, then scoring the final seven points of the half to go into the break down just 45-35.

Second Half
JMU had to continue pushing out of halftime, quickly getting the lead down to six in the opening four minutes, but W&M responded with a 14-4 run that put the advantage back at 63-47 with just 12:44 to play.

From there, the Dukes would allow just five field goals through the end of regulation, forcing turnovers and difficult shots as they continued to chip away. JMU had three separate runs of seven straight points, eventually taking its first lead on a pair of free throws with 2:24 to play.

W&M held the Dukes at bay, as JMU just missed multiple go-ahead three-point attempts, but the Tribe would miss a pair of free throws with 12 seconds to play, allowing Falden to grab the rebound and call time. After a Morse three-pointer found iron, Amadi rose between three W&M defenders to tip in the rebound and send the game to an extra period.

Overtime
JMU never trailed in the extra stanza, going up 86-82 in just two minutes before W&M fought back to tie. With 1:53 to play, Morse drilled a three-pointer, then Falden hit another with 1:01 left. The Tribe battled back, missing one of two free throws with seven seconds left to leave the Dukes with a 92-91 advantage.

After a tie-up on the first inbounds stayed with JMU, redshirt freshman Terrence Edwards hit Amadi with a full-court pass on the second that Amadi flushed home with a dunk, drawing a foul while he was at it and making the free throw to seal the comeback.

QUICK HITS
- The game marked the Dukes' first overtime game and win since a Feb. 23, 2019 win over Hofstra.
- The Dukes forced 25 turnovers on the evening, their first time reaching that mark against a Division I opponent since forcing 25 in a win over South Carolina State on Dec. 29, 2007.
- Saturday marked the first time since Nov. 20, 2019 that the Dukes had three people score at least 20 points in one game.
- The comeback win is the largest on record at JMU and the first comeback of at least 20 points for the Dukes since a Nov. 22, 2010 win over Princeton.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will be back on the road to cap the weekend, traveling to Elon for a 4 p.m. matchup on Monday, Jan. 17. On Saturday, the Phoenix dropped a 73-66 decision to Towson at home, falling to 4-12 (1-2) on the season.