Free Throw Disaster

There were multiple silver linings for the Dukes on Tuesday night, despite their 71-67 loss to the University of Detroit Mercy.

With a recorded attendance of 4,030, the Convocation Center was crowded with hungry and excited JMU fans, a noticeable difference from the past few years. As students took their seats they witnessed something that hasn’t happened on the men’s side since 1994: a banner unveiling.

A little over 10 minutes before tip off, staff revealed two new banners hanging in the Convo.

“CAA Champions” and “NCAA Tournament,” the banners read commemorating the 2012-2013 season.

Redshirt senior forward Andrey Semenov stood at midcourt for an extra period of time admiring the newest additions to his team’s office. He shook his head almost in disbelief.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Semenov said. “In the words of Rayshawn Goins ‘It’s about [damn] time.’”

The atmosphere at tip off was, needless to say, electric. Fans jumped on risers, which were visibly flexing under the pressure. The audiences’ energy remained high as the Dukes jumped out to an early 9-3 lead on shots by Semenov, sophomore guard Ron Curry and sophomore forward Taylor Bessick.

Head coach Matt Brady mentioned the need for students Monday. He said whether they got them Tuesday or in January (next home games with classes in session), were needed. He got his wish early.

“Special mention to the students, coming out in force,” Brady said. “It was great to see. I’m hopeful that we can continue to get the students back.”

With just under two minutes left in the first half, sophomore guard Charles Cooke got loose on a fast break and threw down a one-handed slam — reenergizing the Convo. What the Dukes didn’t know was that Cooke’s dunk was the last time they would have the lead all night. He finished with a team-high 17 points.

But the Titans went into the break up 33-32.

JMU’s second half was characterized by missed opportunities and unfortunate breaks. With 12:55 remaining, Curry hobbled to the sideline grabbing his left ankle region in agony. After having it examined and taped up, he returned a few minutes later, but only lasted 46 seconds before being taken out for good.

Brady said it’s a sprain and he will be evaluated this week. His status for Saturday’s game at Valparaiso University is unknown, but Brady remains hopeful.

The silver lining of Curry’s injury was the emergence of freshman guard Jackson Kent. He checked in for Curry and went on a personal 6-0 run, which cut the Titan lead to two points, 48-46.

“I just went into the game in the second half and knew I needed to step up,” Kent said. “[I] got lost in the game.”

Kent finished with 10 points.

The team kept inching forward, but they were plagued by fouls — not fouls that they committed, but not capitalizing on any of Detroit’s 31 committed fouls.

The difference really was that JMU just couldn’t do it Tuesday night shooting just 26-45 (58.7 percent) from the line.

“I really don’t know,” Cooke said. “We just missed free throws. There’s really no excuse for it.”

The Dukes went into the game shooting 68.4 percent from the line, good enough for third in the Colonial Athletic Association. The abysmal performance Tuesday drops their season average to 64.4 percent.

It’s hard to come up for an answer when your team misses on so many opportunities, but someone is always going to ask why.

“It’s a routine shot,” Cooke said. “It’s something you do over and over again.”

If you hear a lot of whistles coming from inside the Convo the end of this week, it might just be the team running suicides to the point of no return.

“I don’t know if it’s nerves,” Brady said. “I will say this about free throws: it’s contagious.”

The silver lining on the defensive end was the continued success of the newly conceived 3-2 zone. With their length surrounding the arc, the zone helped limit penetration. Keeping the ball outside is good, however, the Titans made them pay for this by knocking down nine three’s, including a few at NBA length.

“We haven’t gotten it down fully,” Cooke said. “It gives our fours and fives (forwards) more time to get to the corner.”

With the zone, they have some more time to react and see the play develop. Semenov (who finished with 14 points) says he prefers playing the low side of the zone for court vision. His versatility allows him to play the top or the bottom with ease.

This team is not laterally quick, according to Brady, but he thinks the 3-2 zone is helping the players rebound.

As students go on break, the Dukes (2-3) will be at work, playing three games in three different states in a week’s time.

“We are going to scratch this off the board,” Cooke said. “Get back in the gym and keep working.”

Brady will continue to teach his young players the keys to capitalization.

“We will be able to show them a number of mistakes that we could’ve gotten an edge in this game that we didn’t take advantage of,” he said.