Down late, ODU roars back for a CAA win

HARRISONBURG

They fed the ball inside, but missed layups.

They got to the line, but missed free throws.

Midway through the second half Monday, Old Dominion still had more rebounds than points, and a 12-point James Madison lead felt more like 20.

Another JMU bucket might have been more than ODU could have overcome. But instead of being blown out on an afternoon when almost nothing was falling, the Monarchs dug in and pulled off a comeback win that was the very definition of stealing one on the road.

ODU prevailed 67-61 in overtime. It stayed in the game with a dominant performance on the glass and the early marksmanship of Trian Iliadis, and won it with timely shooting and pressure defense over the final six minutes of regulation and into overtime.

"This win is gonna take us a long way," guard Kent Bazemore said. "We probably say that every time, but it was a great experience.

"We've been through pretty much everything during the nonconference schedule, and that paid dividends down the stretch."

ODU came into CAA play with a losing record (6-7) for just the second time in 10 seasons. For all the ups and downs, however, they're now 2-0 in the conference, earning both wins on the road.

"Our team has been one that has just been biding its time and taking a ride around a curvy trail and just hungry for something that feels good," coach Blaine Taylor said. "And you have to accomplish something to do that."

The Monarchs accomplished much Monday, and had to overcome much to do it. Though they shot just 25 percent in the first half, they only trailed by eight, offsetting 16 points from JMU guard Humpty Hitchens with three 3-pointers from Iliadis and a 27-16 edge on the glass.

ODU still had more boards (40) than points (37) with eight minutes left in regulation, but was showing signs of thawing from the field.

A 3-pointer by Iliadis, who had a career-high 22 points, cut the lead to eight with 10 minutes left. Four minutes later, a 3-pointer from Bazemore trimmed it to four.

Able to set up its pressure defense after finally making some baskets, ODU forced JMU (7-5, 1-1 CAA) into quick shots, mostly from the perimeter.

Bazemore tied the score at 50 with a 3-pointer with 2:38 left, and knotted it again with a step-through bank shot with 6.2 seconds left.

JMU rushed the ball up court and found Julius Wells on the left wing. His 3 point-attempt and a tip-in try by Andrey Semenov missed at the buzzer and the game went to overtime. ODU got a working margin by opening with a 9-4 run, and hit 5 of 6 free throws to maintain it.

The Monarchs had misfired from the line all afternoon, missing 14 of their first 23 free throws. Nick Wright made four straight in OT, though, and Bazemore hit 1 of 2.

Bazemore made just 1 of 6 from the line on the day, but was 3 of 3 from 3-point range. It typified the sort of statistically backwards shooting day it was for the Monarchs.

"Free throws are supposed to be easier than 3-pointers, but he did hit some big 3s for us," Taylor said.

ODU made 9 of 20 from beyond the arc, finding a comfort level it never managed at the free throw line or around the rim. Chris Cooper gobbled rebounds (16, 8 offensive) but had trouble finishing near the basket and at the line. The sheer relentless of ODU's effort on the boards wore down the perimeter-oriented Dukes, though.

So did ODU's defense. Hitchens had just seven points after halftime, and JMU, which missed 20 of 28 3-point attempts, could get nothing inside.

"They crushed us on the glass, and that's always been the story when we played Old Dominion," coach Matt Brady said.

Ed Miller, 757-446-2372,ed.miller@pilotonline.com.