TOWSON, Md. ? After trailing for most of the game, the Tigers (6-8, 1-1) grabbed a 58-57 lead in the final minute and held on to edge James Madison University (8-6, 0-2) in a wild Colonial Athletic Association game at the Towson Center on Saturday evening.
Playing their first home game since December 9, the Tigers battled from behind all evening against the Dukes, who had won four of their last five games. However, the Tigers turned up the defensive pressure in the final minutes, enabling them to come from behind and win.
When senior Junior Hairston gave the Tigers a 58-57 lead by hitting two free throws with 45.7 seconds remaining, it marked Towson's first lead since 15-13 with nine minutes left in the first half.
After Hairston gave the Tigers a lead, their defensive pressure made it difficult for the Dukes to get an open shot. With 25 seconds left, a steal by Hairston gave the Tigers the ball. However, sophomore Robert Nwankwo was fouled with 21 seconds left. When he missed two free throws, the Dukes had another chance to win the game.
With four seconds left, freshman guard Devon Moore was double-teamed in front of the JMU bench and the Dukes called timeout. After the timeout, the Dukes had trouble finding an open shot. When freshman Andrey Semenov's long three-point field goal attempt was short, the Tigers owned their first CAA win of the season.
“It wasn't the ?Mona Lisa' but we'll take it,” said Towson Coach Pat Kennedy. “This was a huge win for us. We've been on the road for weeks and it feels great to come home and pull out a tough win. In the final minutes, they had some trouble with our 1-3-1 extended defense and they couldn't get the open looks they wanted. Our guys played tremendous defense down the stretch.”
After the Dukes took a 54-51 lead on a basket by senior Juwann James with 5:18 remaining, they were held without a basket the rest of the way. On their final seven possessions of the game, JMU had three turnovers, made 3 of 6 free throws and missed a long three-point basket.
James Madison owned a 56-53 lead with 4:19 left after Semenov canned a pair of free throws. When Nwankwo made one of two foul shots with 3:54 remaining, the Tigers' deficit was cut to 56-54.
With 3:18 left, senior Kyle Swanston upped the Dukes' lead to 57-54 when he made one of two free throws.
But, the Dukes did not score again.
Senior Rocky Coleman, who gave the Tigers a huge lift off the bench by scoring 12 points in 19 minutes, pulled Towson to within 57-56 when he scored on a short bank shot with 2:59 remaining.
A turnover by Semenov gave the Tigers their first chance to grab a lead. However, Hairston missed a hook shot and JMU got the ball back. James had a chance to extend the Dukes' lead with 2:08 remaining but he missed both free throws, giving the Tigers another opportunity to go ahead. But, Hairston missed a short jumper in the lane and JMU got the ball back.
With a minute remaining, freshman guard Troy Franklin gave the Tigers another chance to go ahead when he made a steal. Moments later, junior Josh Thornton missed a three-point jumper and Hairston got the rebound. He was fouled immediately by James, who fouled out. When he gave the Tigers the lead, it ended a stretch of 28:15 in which Towson had trailed.
“Rocky gave us a tremendous lift off the bench,” said Kennedy. “He gave us some great defense and made some big shots. We're happy for him.”
In a game which featured eight ties and six lead changes, the Dukes had their biggest lead with 11:45 remaining when they owned a 47-39 advantage. However, Franklin made three free throws and hit an NBA-long three-point basket to pull the Tigers to within 47-45 with 9:29 left.
The Dukes, who overcame an early 5-0 deficit in the game, responded with an 8-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. JMU closed out the first half by scoring the final six points before intermission to grab a 33-27 halftime lead.
Hairston, who recorded his third “double double” of the season, led the Tigers with 16 points and 10 rebounds as four Tigers scored in double figures. Coleman, who shot four-for-four from the floor, added a season high 12 points. Sophomore Jarrel Smith scored 10 points with 8 rebounds while Franklin had 10 points and four steals.
James led the Dukes by scoring a career high 24 points, making 12 of 15 shots from the floor. However, he missed all four free throw attempts. Moore scored 13 points with 10 rebounds for the Dukes as he posted the first “double double” of his career.
The Dukes, who came into the game as the top three-point shooting team in the CAA with a .398 mark, were held to a 1-for-15 performance by the Tigers.
Towson ended a three-game losing streak with the win.
