Pierces leads W&M past James Madison 79-74 in CAA opener

Dec 29, 2019, 10:18 am

WILLAMSBURG, Va. -- Justin Pierce had 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals and William & Mary held off James Madison 79-74 in the Colonial Athletic Conference opener on Friday night.

The Tribe (5-8) made 5 of its last 7 shots while the Dukes (7-7) missed their last nine.

After Stuckey Mosley's jumper tied the game at 70, James Madison never made another field goal. The Tribe scored five straight to take a 75-70 lead into the final minute. Matt Lewis made four free throws for the Dukes but Nathan Knight made a pair of free throws with 26 seconds and after James Madison missed a potential tying 3-pointer at 14 seconds, L.J. Owens capped a 3-on-1 runout with a dunk to seal it with 10 seconds to go.

Chase Audige had 19 points for Williams & Mary with Knight adding 17 plus eight rebounds, six blocks and four assists.

Lewis paced the Dukes with a season-high 26 points, hitting five 3-pointers and all nine of his free throws. Mosley had 16 with a career-high six assists.

There were 14 ties and seven lead changes. James Madison had a 12-point lead with 7:22 to go in the first half but Williams & Mary rallied for a 37-36 lead at the break.