HARRISONBURG, Va. -Freshman guard Pierre Curtis hit a running jump shot in the lane as time expired to lead JMU past VMI, 89-87, Wednesday night.
VMI took an 84-83 lead with 1:41 left on a Matt Murrer 3-pointer and followed with a Willie Bell layup to move ahead 86-83 with 1:29 remaining before Curtis scored four of the last six points of regulation.
The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Keydets and moved their record to 3-3.
The game saw 11 lead changes and 12 ties before Curtis hit the game winner to give the Dukes (2-1) their first victory of the year in their home opener.
The Keydets were led by sophomore guard Chavis Holmes who scored 20 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the field and five of 10 from long-range. VMI also got double figures from junior forward Reggie Williams who rallied with 13 second-half points to finish with 18, followed by sophomore guard Travis Holmes (14) and senior forward Matt Murrer (12).
James Madison placed six in doubles figures and were led by sophomore forward Kyle Swanstan who matched Holmes' game-high 20 points. The Dukes also got 15 points from Curtis, 14 points from junior forward Terrance Carter, and 13 points from sophomore Juwann James. Colby Santos and Joe Posey each scored 12 points for the JMU scoring effort.
James Madison raced to a 10-0 lead in last year's game between the teams, and set out to repeat history Wednesday by staking an 11-0 lead following a James dunk just 4:37 into the game. VMI went scoreless until the 14:14 mark when Adam Lonon rolled in a layup.
The Lonon bucket started a 12-3 run as VMI pulled within 14-12 on a Wille Bell tip-in, but the Keydets fell behind as much as 12 points in the first half (26-14) with 7:14 remaining.
But VMI chipped away and trailed by single digits for the remaining 6:42 and went to the locker room at halftime down, 37-29.
The Keydets stayed close to the Dukes in the first half despite shooting 30.6 % from the floor (11-36) including just 3 of 29 from three-point range. VMI missed its first 11 trey attempts before Bell canned a 3-pointer at the 13:18 mark.
VMI raised its defensive intensity in the opening minutes of the second half and opened the frame with a 12-2 run and took its first lead of the game on a pair of Chavis Holmes free throws with 16:42 left. VMI stretched its lead to 49-45 moments later when Chavis Holmes ripped a three from the wing.
JMU responded with a 14-0 run to retake the lead and built the margin to as much as 13 points (64-51) when James canned one of two free throws at the 8:51 mark. But the next two minutes saw the Keydets can three treys on a 20-6 run that was capped by a Williams 3-pointer with 6:17 left to push VMI ahead 71-70. Neither team led by more than three points in the final six minutes of regulation.
Following Murrer's 3-pointer from the right wing that put VMI ahead, 84-83 with 1:46 remaining in regulation, the Keydets converted on the next trip down the floor when Williams laced a pass underneath to Bell for an easy lay-in to make it 86-83 with 58 ticks left. Murrer fouled out on JMU's next possession and Swanston drained to free throws to pull the Dukes within a point, 86-85. Williams was bumped at the free throw line by James with :23 left and the junior hit one of two free throws to extend VMI's lead to two points.
Bell fouled Curtis trying to draw a charge with 10 seconds left, and freshman nailed two more free throws to tie the game at 87-87.
Williams controlled the ball on VMI's final trip to the floor, but was stripped by Curtis as he started a spin move left of the lane. Curtis started a mad dash down the floor, outracing both Keydets and the clock as he launched a running shot in the lane for the game-winner as the buzzer sounded.
The Dukes outrebounded VMI 51-36, but hit only 30 of 48 foul shots. The Keydets shot 46.5% in the second half to finish the game at 39.2 % from the floor. VMI connected on 12 of a Convocation Center record 45 3-point attempts. The Keydet bench scoring outpointed JMU's reserves, 43-15.
The Keydets continue the five-game road swing Saturday night when they travel to Washington, D.C. to face Howard at 7:00 p.m. It will be the first meeting of the teams since the 2000-2001 season.
