For the first time this season the Dukes look like they were the bigger team with the better match-ups. The Lancers were undersized and just as un-discipline as we are. However, the Dukes got off to a good start defensively with their zone and forced the Lancers to shoot a lot of bad shots. Once again, the zone was looking effective and we even did a better job closing out on shooters and grabbing rebounds. However, we had them on the ropes early in the first half when we were up by 8 and let them crawl back into it by switching back to man. After a relatively close first half, the Dukes opened it up by scoring in bunches and spreading the ball around. Kent, Grays, Dalembert, and Vodanovich all had double digit scoring nights, making it difficult for the Lancer defense to key in on who to guard. The Dukes never switched back to the man which was a major factor because their zone continued to suffocate the Lancer offense and force bad shots and turnovers the whole second half. The Duke's scrappy defense and hot shooting night lead them to a 82-60 victory over Longwood.
Key Offensive Takeaways

• good ball movement early, which lead to easy shots and a fast start: 17 team assists
  

• group scoring which made everyone on the floor a threat.
  

• 30 points in the paint: did not force many difficult shots
  

• 8-13 shooting from three point range: spreading out the floor to open up open/makable shots
  

• 18 bench points: Vodanovich had 11 points in his first game back
  

Key Defensive Takeaways

• zone was very effective forcing 19 turnovers and 14 points off turnovers
  

• did a better job of closing out on defenders and forcing them into tough shots: 40% shooting for the Lancers/20% from three
  

• out-rebounded the Lancers which limited their second chance points
  

Consistency is Key
The last two games have been very important for the Dukes, especially after the UVA embarrassment. It looks like the team is starting to settle down play good team basketball both offensively and defensively. The consistency of Jackson Kent is important for the team on offense because if the team is struggling he is a go to guy that can make a bucket anywhere on the floor. I expect JMU's scoring to increase over the next week because Hari Hall and Andre Nation are due back soon. Hari sat out last night's game with an injury but said he will play in monday's game. Nation has two games left on his suspension and will be back next week as well. These two prolific scorers will do nothing but add points to the board and be more offensive threats for our opponents defense to handle. If the Dukes keep playing at this level we are looking at a good year in the CAA.