NORFOLK, Va. – After trailing by 15 with 4:11 to play in the contest, the Old Dominion men's basketball team (3-2) stormed back to pull within two, only to have Malik Curry's potential game-winning three-pointer wiped away after an official review in a 80-78 loss to JMU (3-2) on Wednesday night at Chartway Arena.
"A lot of the same things that plagued us in earlier games bit us in the rear end tonight," said ODU head coach Jeff Jones. "We were a step slow defensively and I think there was a stretch in the second half that we showed frustration. Nothing about our run late in the second half makes me feel any better, we shouldn't have been down 15 to begin with."
With 15:16 left in the second half, James Madison claimed its largest lead to that point, 48-36. Old Dominion trimmed its deficit down to six, 61-55, at the 6:53 mark, before the Dukes answered on a 9-0 run to stretch their lead to 15, 70-55, with 3:56 remaining in regulation. ODU answered right back with a 23-10 run of their own to make it a two-point game, only to have Curry's three-pointer wiped off the scoreboard after official review.
Xavier Green led the Monarchs with 19 points to go along with four rebounds. Curry followed with 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Also in double figures for ODU was Jason Wade, who finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists. Aaron Carver hauled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
For the game, James Madison shot 54.2% (19-36) from three-point range.
ODU trailed 37-32 at the half, as the Dukes shot 61.5% (8-13) from deep. The Monarchs were led by Wade and Marquis Godwin's nine points each. Carver grabbed a half-high eight rebounds.
Old Dominion will return to the hardwood on Monday, Nov. 25 at 5:00 p.m., when the Monarchs take on George Mason in the Cayman Islands as the first of three games for ODU in the 2019 Cayman Islands Classic. Monday's game will stream on FloHoops and air across the ODU Sports Radio Network.
ODU’s Comeback Falls Just Short in 80-78 Loss to JMU
