NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Every time Old Dominion would get close, James Madison had an answer that held the Monarchs at arm's length.
Chaunce Jenkins scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the second half, but ODU could not climb out of an early hole and fell to the Dukes, 78-73, at Chartway Arena on Thursday night.
Early on it looked as though the game might turn into a blowout, as JMU opened up a 21-7 lead at the 10:39 mark of the first half. Jeff Jones watched his squad miss 15 of its first 18 shots, helping the Dukes open up the double digit advantage. The silver and blue would start to chip away towards the end of the frame and Tyreek Scott-Grayson's buzzer-beating three-pointer sent the Monarchs into halftime down 35-27.
Old Dominion came out in the second frame much more aggressive and productive, quickly trimming the deficit to 39-38 with 16:21 remaining. The Monarchs would cut it to one possession on a handful of occasions, but each time the Dukes responded with a big shot. Julien Wooden connected on four of his five triples in the final 14:04 and seemed to be the biggest ODU-killer of the evening. Chaunce Jenkins scored on a lay-up to make one final push and pull the home team back to three, but two Takal Molson free throws iced the contest.
Mekhi Long chipped in his third straight double-double, tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Scott-Grayson added 10 points off the bench. Ben Stanley missed Thursday's contest as he continues to nurse an injured left hand, but did some shooting prior to the game.
Molson led five Dukes in double-figures with 18 points, while Wooden added 17 points. The Dukes shot 53.7 percent from the floor and connected on 10 of their 20 three-point attempts.
Old Dominion returns to action on Saturday as the Monarchs host Georgia Southern, looking for the season sweep of the Eagles. Tipoff is set for 7:00 at Chartway Arena.
