RICHMOND, Ky. — Eastern Kentucky dropped a 79-78 decision to James Madison in the final seconds on Tuesday night at McBrayer Arena.
EKU (3-1) held a seven-point lead at halftime and was up 61-51 with 14:38 remaining in the game. James Madison (2-1) used a 24-14 run over the next 11 minutes to tie the game at 75-75 with 3:06 to play. The Colonels reclaimed the lead when Braxton Beverly buried a three at the 1:51 mark. A pair of JMU free throws trimmed the lead to one-point, but the Dukes committed an illegal screen with 13 seconds remaining to give EKU possession. However, a turnover on the ensuing inbound pass gave James Madison one more chance and a putback with six seconds remaining by Charles Falden secured a one-point win for JMU.
Jannson Williams led all scorers with a season-high 21 points, going 5-of-7 from behind the arc. Curt Lewis netted 15 points in the game, while Devontae Blanton added 14 points and led the Colonels with nine rebounds and four assists. Beverly and Jomaru Brown each finished with 10 points on the night.
EKU shot 40.0 percent (28-of-70) on the evening and hit on 13 of its 35 three-point attempts (37.1 percent). James Madison won the battle of the boards, 45-35, and outscored the Colonels 46-28 in the paint.
Eastern Kentucky will look to bounce back on Saturday night when the Colonels host Albany at 7:00 p.m. for the opening night of the EKU Hoops Invitational.
