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Delaware 65, James Madison 64
February 25, 2002

Rowland Hits Layup in Closing Seconds to Lift Blue Hens to Third Straight Victory

Austen Rowland scored the game-winner for the Hens with just 4.2 seconds left in the game

HARRISONBURG, VA -- Austen Rowland hit a driving layup down the right side of the lane with just 4.2 seconds remaining as the University of Delaware closed out the regular season with a narrow 65-64 Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball victory over host James Madison Monday night at the JMU Convocation Center.

James Madison, which used a late 18-4 run to rally from a 10-point deficit, took the lead on a three-pointer from the top of the key by Dwayne Broyles with 16.6 seconds left. Delaware then called a timeout, setting up Rowland's heroics.

The win was the third straight for the Blue Hens (13-15, 9-9 CAA), who will be the No. 5 seed and take on No. 4 Drexel in the CAA Tournament quarterfinals March 2 at 2:30 p.m. in Richmond, VA. Delaware, in its first season as members of the CAA, clinched a .500 or better record in league play for the seventh straight season and for the 13th time in the last 15 years. Delaware swept the season series from James Madison, winning both by just one point.

Center Maurice Sessoms led the Hens with team highs of 12 points and seven rebounds while Mike Slattery and Ryan Iversen each added 11 points. Slattery, a freshman point guard, enjoyed a solid floor game as he dished out six assists and directed an offense that turned the ball over a season-low six times. Slattery also nailed a big three-pointer with 1:14 left to play that gave the Hens a 63-59 lead.

James Madison, which will open the CAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed and play William & Mary in the play-in round March 1 at Richmond, ended the regular season with a record of 13-14, 6-12 CAA. The Dukes got a career-high 18 points from guard Chris Williams while forward Kenny Whitehead came off the bench to deliver 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds and Ian Caskill added 10 points.

Delaware held JMU guard David Fanning, the league's leading scorer at 18.3 points per game, to just seven points on 2 for 10 shooting. Williams missed an off-balance three-pointer to end the game.

"We were resilient tonight and hung in there," said Delaware head coach David Henderson. "We made the plays down the stretch that we needed and Austen just made a great play at the end. I'm proud of the way this team played tonight. We showed a lot of heart and didn't quit. We took some blows, but came back each time. We are excited to be playing in the CAA Tournament next week. We have a week to prepare and we know anything can happen."

Delaware broke away from a 32-30 halftime lead, upping the margin to 10 points at 46-36 on a Vohn Hunter three-pointer just three minutes into the second stanza. But the Dukes responded with an 18-4 run, tying the game at 48-48 on a Williams jumper and going up by as much as six points at 56-50 with 7:31 remaining.

But then it was Delaware's turn. The Hens came back and tied the game twice, the second time at 58-58 on two Iversen free throws and then went up when Iversen hit a field goal with 3:01 left for a two-point lead. Williams followed with one free throw for JMU to cut the lead to 60-59 before Slattery answered with his big three-pointer.

Whitehead pulled JMU to within one again with two free throws at the 58 second mark before Broyles followed with what looked like the game-winning three-pointer from the top of the key. But back came the Hens with Rowland, who had hit just one field all night, scoring the game winner.

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Official Basketball Box Score


Official Basketball Box Score U. of Delaware vs James Madison 2/25/02 7:30 pm at Convocation Center - Harrisonburg, VA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISITORS: U. of Delaware 13-15, 9-9 CAA TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS ## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 01 Hunter, Vohn........ f 3-8 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 3 7 0 0 0 0 20 24 Wentt, Robin........ f 1-3 0-0 1-1 2 3 5 4 3 1 0 0 0 15 44 Sessoms, Maurice.... c 5-10 0-0 2-2 3 4 7 0 12 1 3 1 0 29 03 Slattery, Mike...... g 4-7 3-4 0-0 0 1 1 1 11 6 0 0 0 30 10 Ames, Mike.......... g 2-5 1-3 0-0 0 2 2 2 5 0 2 0 0 22 22 Rowland, Austen..... 2-8 1-5 0-0 0 3 3 0 5 1 0 0 0 24 30 Smith, Calvin....... 1-3 0-0 1-3 1 0 1 3 3 0 0 0 0 15 32 Iversen, Ryan....... 4-11 1-4 2-2 0 3 3 3 11 3 0 0 2 24 42 Hindenlang, Dave.... 4-6 0-0 0-0 2 2 4 2 8 2 1 1 0 21 TEAM................ 2 2 Totals.............. 26-61 7-18 6-8 8 22 30 18 65 14 6 2 2 200 TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-32 40.0% 2nd Half: 13-29 44.8% Game: 42.6% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 3-10 30.0% 2nd Half: 4- 8 50.0% Game: 38.9% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 3- 5 60.0% 2nd Half: 3- 3 100.0% Game: 75.0% 0,1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOME TEAM: James Madison 13-14, 6-12 CAA TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS ## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN 30 Broyles, Dwayne..... f 2-2 1-1 0-0 1 1 2 3 5 0 2 0 0 22 50 Lyle, Tim........... f 0-4 0-3 0-0 0 2 2 3 0 0 1 0 0 25 51 Caskill, Ian........ c 5-13 0-0 0-0 1 5 6 1 10 2 0 1 0 19 12 Fanning, David...... g 2-10 0-4 3-3 1 4 5 1 7 1 2 0 0 27 32 Williams, Chris..... g 8-13 1-2 1-4 1 3 4 1 18 3 2 0 0 37 03 Hatter, Charlie..... 2-4 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 4 0 1 0 1 20 04 Younger, Jerian..... 0-0 0-0 2-2 1 0 1 1 2 0 3 0 1 14 22 Freeman, Daniel..... 0-2 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 35 Whitehead, Kenny.... 4-6 0-0 4-5 2 8 10 1 12 0 1 0 0 21 42 Mitchell, Pat....... 2-4 0-0 2-3 3 2 5 1 6 0 1 0 0 10 TEAM................ 2 2 4 Totals.............. 25-58 2-11 12-17 13 28 41 14 64 6 13 1 2 200 TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-30 40.0% 2nd Half: 13-28 46.4% Game: 43.1% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1- 7 14.3% 2nd Half: 1- 4 25.0% Game: 18.2% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 5- 7 71.4% 2nd Half: 7-10 70.0% Game: 70.6% 2,1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Officials: Duke Edsall, Karl Hess, Les Jones Technical fouls: U. of Delaware-Hunter, Vohn. James Madison-Hatter, Charlie. Attendance: 4561 Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total U. of Delaware................ 32 33 - 65 James Madison................. 30 34 - 64
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