HARRISONBURG, VA (WTKR)- As the second half of Old Dominion's contest against James Madison progressed, Jeff Jones watched as line-ups that had never practiced as a unit work together and try to spur a comeback.
It wasn't enough, as the short-handed Monarchs saw a late rally fall short, losing to the Dukes, 76-67, on Thursday night at the Atlantic Union Bank Center. The loss snaps ODU's streak of four consecutive road wins and drops its record to 16-11, 8-7 in the Sun Belt.
Early in the second half, Ben Stanley went down with a non-contact injury and had to be helped off the court. He would not return to the bench for the remainder of the night and Stanley said he feared he had suffered a torn ACL. The Monarchs will get confirmation on the severity of his injury in the coming days.
Mekhi Long, who missed Saturday's game at Texas State, watched from the bench for most of the second half after experiencing swelling and soreness in his injured knee, according to Jones. Imo Essien spent the entire second half on the bench as well. Jones said the point guard took an elbow to the head and was not cleared to return under concussion protocol.
The Monarchs and Dukes played close for most of the first half, but JMU used a 12-2 run at the end of the frame to open up a ten point lead. Takal Molson's three-pointer in the final seconds of the frame sent the Dukes into the locker room up 40-30.
The second half saw ODU trail by as many as 13 points, but those in the silver and blue players who were available took the floor looking to provide a spark. Bryce Baker's three-pointer with 2:08 remaining pulled the Monarchs to within two, but that would be as close as the visitors could get.
Old Dominion was out-rebounded, 37-27, and saw JMU picked up some offensive boards in some crucial moments.
Baker and Chaunce Jenkins paced ODU with 12 points each, while Long added 11 points and Faizon Fields scored 10 points. Mezie Offurum scored a game-high 18 points to lead James Madison.
The Monarchs get back on the floor Saturday when they visit Appalachian State for a 4:00 PM tipoff. The Mountaineers topped Old Dominion at Chartway Arena last month, 72-58.
