Colonial Fans

Old Dominion 75, James Madison 59

Remember the team that stormed the palace gate last season and came within a few minutes of the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament? Remember the team that scared everyone it played in late February and all of March Madness? Remember the team that nobody wanted to face because of its imposing size and length plus an abundance of muscle near the rim?

That team is back, folks. Old Dominion is making a hard charge to a likely NCAA Tournament bid, and the rest of the Colonial kingdom is wondering if these Monarchs are going to be stopped by anyone other than George Mason in the weeks to come.

Frank Hassell had 21 points and 10 boards, leading Old Dominion to a 75-59 win over James Madison at the JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia, on Thursday night. The Monarchs held just a 29-25 lead at halftime but picked up the pace in the second half to walk away with the win.

The Dukes were up by as many as eight in the first half, going up 17-9 at the 11 minute mark, but Old Dominion answered with 13 straight points and did not trail again. The Monarchs rolled after that, seeing their lead go up to as many as 21 points in the second half. Old Dominion picked up its ninth win in 10 games, remaining in a second-place tie with Hofstra in the Colonial Athletic Association. The win was the Monarchs’ sixth straight over James Madison and leaves them in a great position with just one game left in the season.

Kent Bazemore had 19 points and Darius James had 11 for the Monarchs. Head coach Blaine Taylor’s team struggled defensively as James Madison shot 53 percent from the field , but survived on the strengths of a big advantage on the boards (28-21, including 11-3 on the offensive glass) and just six turnovers. The game was the 28th out of 29 in which the Monarchs have out-rebounded their opponents, a huge strength for them all season long. It’s exactly why ODU is such a tough out in the one-and-done world of tournament competition, which is going to start next weekend for the CAA in Richmond, Virginia. George Mason is one team nobody wants to contend with; Old Dominion is actually even more imposing at the moment with its size.

Denzel Bowles led James Madison with 14 points, and Devon Moore added 10 in the loss. All 8 Dukes that played scored for coach Matt Brady, but it was not enough as the Dukes had a small two-game winning streak snapped. The Dukes appear to be locked into the sixth seed in the CAA as the conference tourney approaches.

Matt Zemek