Patriots roll for 11th straight over rival JMU, 82-68

In a physical rivalry game against JMU Saturday afternoon, Ryan Pearson and the Patriots prevailed by 14 points to capture their 11th straight victory and to take sole possession of first in the CAA. (John Powell)

Despite a sluggish start, the Patriots (21-5, 13-2) fought off their archrivals, the Dukes of James Madison (18-9, 8-7), 82-68, to extend their winning streak to 11 games and to take first place in the CAA outright.

Due to their lengthy win-streak in which they surpassed everyone in the conference, the Patriots have received a great deal of national publicity. Although they found themselves just outside of the AP Poll and the USA Today/Coaches Poll, they were ranked 23rd in the RPI entering the week.

ESPN’s Bracketologist expert Joe Lunardi predicted the Patriots will be a nine seed in the NCAA Tournament, and even attended Saturday’s contest against the Dukes.

“The media attention is welcomed,” Head Coach Jim Larranaga said. “We never consider it a distraction so our players are well-educated as to how to speak to the media and how to make themselves available.”

The Dukes started the game on a 10-4 run as the Patriots came out looking anxious and flat. Devon Moore of JMU scored eight quick points in that stretch, going 2-3 from beyond the arc to open the game.

“In the beginning we wanted to come out of the blocks fast and we tried so hard to do that that we just were too excited,” junior forward Ryan Pearson said. “We didn’t play our game in the beginning, we played right into James Madison’s hands and that’s what allowed them to take the lead early.”

The JMU lead spread to 21-9 at the 12:39 mark in the first half, forcing Larranaga to call a timeout to calm his team down. The Dukes were shooting 60 percent from the field at this point.

The Patriots’ starters continued to struggle, but the bench turned the game around. Sophomore forward Johnny Williams captivated the Patriots’ run, scoring seven points in the first half and playing strong defense on the block.

Next it was Vertrail Vaughns turn. The sophomore guard scored 10 points in the first half on 3-4 shooting from three-point range.

“I was in a shooting slump, but my team believed in me,” Vaughns said. “I stepped up and I wanted to do whatever I could for my team.”

Once the bench provided the spark, the Patriots fought their way back and tied the game for the first time with just under three minutes left in the first half.

“Just knowing that my team wants me to have the ball is a great thing,” Vaughns said.

They took their first lead, 34-33, off of a steal and fast break by junior guard Andre Cornelius with two minutes left before the half. The Patriots entered the locker room at the break clinging to a 39-38 lead.

Larranaga’s crew is known for its prowess in the second half, and this game was no different. The second period was all Mason, as they outscored JMU 43-30 in the half.

“I told the team afterwards, it was just a great team effort and that’s what it’s all about,” Larranaga said.

The action became more and more physical as the game progressed, which is no surprise for a rivalry game within the conference. The second half was dominated by fouls as both teams reached the bonus early in the period. The Patriots withstood the contact, however, and dealt the Dukes a blow they couldn’t answer.

Pearson continued his strong play with a game-high 15 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Cam Long also scored in double figures with 13 points to go along with seven boards. Junior forward Mike Morrison had a solid overall game with nine points, nine boards and a game-high five assists.

The bench ended the game with 29 points, compared to the six bench points by the Dukes. Vaughns finished with 12 key points, senior guard Isaiah Tate contributed 10 and Williams added 7. Eight different players scored for the Patriots in a balanced offensive attack.

“That makes us more of a threat because we have so many different weapons,” Pearson said. “And on any given night anyone can just go off and be our leading scorer.”

The Patriots have notched 18 of its 21 victories by 10 or more this season, including this 14-point victory over the Dukes. In their current 11-game winning streak, all but one has come by a double-digit margin.

Although the Patriots came away with the win, all five of the Dukes’ starters scored in double figures. Senior forward Denzel Bowles registered a 12-point and 11-rebound double-double, and two players scored a team-high 14 points.

“They’ve got a very good basketball team and we needed to respond to that,” Larranaga said.

The Patriots will go for a school-record 12th consecutive win Tuesday night as they travel to Richmond to take on VCU at 7 p.m in a game that will be aired on ESPNU. The Rams fell Saturday at home against ODU to fall out of a first-place tie in the conference.