Game Story; Rutgers 77, JMU 68

Saturday, December 2

New Brunswick, N.J.

TBA

James Madison University

Rutgers

JAMES MADISON

RUTGERS

12/2/2000 10:55:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (12/2/2000) – Todd Billet scored a career-high 37 points, the best scoring effort by a JMU opponent in nearly four seasons, to lead 5-0 Rutgers to a 77-66 victory over the Dukes.

Billet, a 6-foot sophomore guard, hit on 11 of 14 shots, including five of eight three-point tries, and 10 of 11 free throws. He had 23 points during the final half, including 17 of his team's 21 points during the final 4:48. His three-pointer with 4:48 remaining put Rutgers in front to stay 59-58.

JMU erased a 44-34 deficit and led three times during the second half, the last at 58-56 on Dwayne Braxton's field goal with 5:08 to play.

David Fanning led the Dukes' second-half rally with 11 points in just more than four minutes and had a team-high 15 points overall. Braxton had his fifth straight double-figure scoring effort of the season with 13 points; Mickey Dennis had 13 points; and Jerian Younger scored 10 points off the bench for JMU.

Billet, who had a 36-point game earlier during the season, had three three-point field goals and a two-pointer, and he hit on six straight free throw tries during the final 4:48. No opponent had scored 30 points against JMU since American's Thomas Treadwell had 31 in a 81-78 Dukes' win Jan. 11, 1997 at American. A JMU opponent last had had as many as 37 points when Washington's Todd MacCullough scored 38 in a 73-68 Huskies' win at the JMU Convocation Center Dec. 7, 1996.

Rutgers shot 59.1 percent (13-22) during the second half and a JMU-opponent season-best 55.6 percent (25-45) overall. The Knights also hit on 22 of 24 free throws (91.7 percent) and had a 30-27 rebounding edge.

JMU shot 43.1 percent (25-58) and hit on a season-high seven of 20 three-point field goal attempts. The Dukes made 11 of 15 free throws.

Fanning had three three-point field goals during a 16-4 JMU scoring burst that gave the Dukes a 50-48 lead with 8:59 to play, and he also had five assists while leading the team in scoring for the first time since its fourth 1999-2000 game and for only the second time during his career.

Braxton had a career-high six assists, and the Dukes' Pat Mitchell played for the first time in 2000-01 and had eight points and two rebounds in 18 minutes.