Elon MBB Falls in Overtime Following James Madison Comeback

HARRISONBURG, Va. – After Elon University men’s basketball came back from a 12-point deficit to take a 10-point lead with just under two minutes on the clock, James Madison fought back to tie the game with a 13-3 run at the end regulation and used the momentum to claim a come-from-behind 85-74 overtime win on Thursday night, Jan. 18, inside the Convocation Center.

BOX SCORE

“It was another night in the CAA,” said head coach Matt Matheny. “Tough for us to lose this one. I thought James Madison really jumped on us to start the second half and we dug a hole down 12 points, and I was very proud of the way our guys bounced back. It was nip and tuck down the stretch and we took a lead, they knocked in that three-pointer to tie it, and we rushed back in regulation and I thought we got a pretty good look at it, and then they jumped us again in overtime and got too far away from us.”

Elon (12-8, 4-3 CAA) had three players finish in double figures, led by Dainan Swoope’s team-highs of 20 points and eight rebounds. Tyler Seibring and Brian Dawkins chipped in 15 points apiece, while Seibring also added seven rebounds and two assists.

James Madison (5-15, 1-6 CAA) was led by Stuckey Mosley, as he finished with a game-high 24 points and six rebounds. Darius Banks had a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds, Matt Lewis and Ramone Snowden each scored 14 points, and DeVelle Phillips added 11 points and six rebounds.

HIGHLIGHTS
Dawkins scored the first five points of the ballgame with an offensive put-back and a three to give the Phoenix a 5-0 advantage. James Madison then responded with a 7-0 run to take a 7-5 lead at the first media with 15:23 on the clock.

Elon followed with a 6-2 run over the next 2:02 to take an 11-9 advantage after Dawkins made a layup. After JMU took the lead right back with a three from Mosley, Dawkins came right back with a three of his own, giving the Phoenix the 14-12 lead.

After the Dukes tied the game 14-14 with a Snowden layup, Elon took an 18-14 lead following four unanswered points from Eberhardt and Thompson. James Madison’s 9-4 swing during the next 7:10 of action to take a 23-22 lead with 1:32 left in the half.

Swoope hit a jumper and Eberhardt’s three-pointer gave the Phoenix a 27-23 lead with 32 seconds left, but Phillips completed a three-point play after a tip-in on an offensive board to cut Elon’s lead to 27-26 at halftime.

James Madison opened the second half with a 10-0 run to take a 36-27 lead, forcing the Phoenix to call a timeout. After the Dukes took a 12-point lead, 41-29 after Mosley’s three, Elon mounted an 12-0 run over the next 3:44 to knot up the score at 41-41 at 11:28 following a Swoope free throw.

The Phoenix took its first lead of the half with 8:18 remaining after Simon Wright’s three put Elon on top, 49-48. Elon continued its surge with a 14-4 run after a JMU free throw to give the Phoenix a 63-53 advantage following a Swoope jumper with 1:53 on the clock.

JMU scored five quick points to cut Elon’s lead to 65-60 with 58 seconds on the clock to begin JMU’s 13-3 run. Mosley made a layup and Snowden made a three to cut Elon’s lead to 65-63 with 45 seconds in regulation. After Swoope made a free throw, JMU drove down the floor and Mosley’s three forced overtime, tying the game at 66-66.

The Dukes opened overtime with five quick points to take a 71-66 lead. After Swoope made two at the line, the Dukes added to its 13-3 run to open overtime with an 8-3 spurt to take a 79-69 lead. James Madison would close out the game with two free throws to seal the 85-74 comeback win.

NOTES
– Dainan Swoope came up big in the second half, scoring 12 of his 20 total points. He recorded his sixth 20-point game of the season.
– Tyler Seibring extended his double-digit scoring streak to eight games after finishing with 15 points against the Dukes.
– Dawkins scored 11 of Elon’s 27 first-half points, going 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-4 from three.
– After Elon held the Dukes to 32 percent shooting in the first half, James Madison came back to shoot 50 percent in the second half and 57 percent in overtime.
– The Dukes outscored the Phoenix 32-11 over the final two minutes of regulation and all of overtime to come back from a 10-point deficit.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix returns to Alumni Gym on Saturday, Jan. 20, to host the William & Mary Tribe at 7 p.m.