In a defensive battle, the Dukes and the Spiders fought back and forth in a tight game. Both teams started off in a zone look which lead to a slow paced game early on. The Dukes rotated well on there zone, controlling the pace of the game. They didn't allow the Spiders anything inside and forced them to shoot a lot of jump shots late in the shot clock. The Spiders struggled with the short corner trap the Dukes put on them and turned the ball over a lot. Despite great defensive play in the first half, the Dukes failed to shoot the ball well and struggled offensively. After the first half, both teams were tied at 24. Not much changed in the second half except the Dukes shot the ball better. Their defense locked up the Spiders and held them to only 33% shooting in the second half while the Dukes shot 46%. The game came down to the wire and once again Andre Nation stepped up, hitting a mid ranged jump shot to put the Dukes up four. Nation had a rough day with only 6pts and 4 fouls but proved to be a vital contributor in the Dukes win.
Key Offensive Takeaways
STATS: ESPN and JMU Sports
Key Offensive Takeaways
- despite poor shooting percentages, we managed to get 40pts in the paint and find a way to grind out easy shots.
- were somewhat stagnant against the zone: no one cut to the high post or short corner
- shot 7% from three, but didn't force up bad three's: all were open and uncontested for the most part
- 15 offensive rebounds lead to second chance scoring opportunities
- starters struggled shooting so 20 bench points help carry the scoring weight: 12 from freshman Hari Hall
- early, the zone controlled the pace of the zone and slowed down the Spiders forcing them into taking shots deep into the shot clock
- short corner trapping lead to multiple turnovers and fast break opportunities
- Brady showed light full court pressure that really slowed the Spiders down and made them be more patient than they liked
- guards did a good job rebounding: Kent, 10 Curry, 6 Nation,4
- gave up a lot of three's but they were contested and late in the shot clock
- held them to just 2 second chance points
STATS: ESPN and JMU Sports