Game Story; JMU 71, Florida Atlantic 57

Monday, December 16

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Florida Atlantic

James Madison

12/16/2002 2:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG (12/16/2002) – David Fanning scored his 1,000th-career point and led three players in double figures in scoring as JMU defeated Florida Atlantic 71-57 in the teams' first meeting.

Fanning had a game-high 19 points and needed just five to become the 20th JMU player to reach 1,000 points. The milestone came when he hit on a three-pointer from the left wing at the 9:49 mark of the first half.

Dwayne Broyles added a season-high 16 points and six rebounds for JMU; Ian Caskill contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, just missing his fourth double-double of the season; and Kenny Whitehead had a career-high 11 rebounds and blocked three shots. Broyles had two three-point field goals and surpassed his previous season scoring high of 12, set at West Virginia.

JMU's Pat Mitchell, who had been slowed following off-season shoulder surgery, played a season-high 21 minutes and had five points and six rebounds.

The final margin was the Dukes' largest as the visitors from the Atlantic Sun Conference stayed within from seven to 12 points for much of the game. JMU took the lead for good when Charlie Hatter hit on a pair of free throws with 10:18 to go in the first half, breaking an 18-18 tie. Fanning's memorable three-pointer, his only trey of the night, came before Hatter hit a three-pointer for a 26-20 JMU lead at 8:34. The Owls pulled to within 28-27 at 5:59 before the Dukes ended the half on a 10-4 run for a 38-31 lead.

Broyles, whose previous season scoring high was 12 points at West Virginia, hit on a three-pointer 17 seconds into the second half and followed with a layup to give the Dukes a 43-31 lead with 19:23 left. The Owls got to within seven on three occasions, the last coming at 5:14, 61-54, but had only one field goal the rest of the way.

Ernest Crumbley and Jeff Cowans with 13 and 10 points, respectively, led Florida Atlantic in scoring. Avery Headley had a career-high 17 rebounds for the Owls.

The Dukes had a 50-43 rebounding advantage and shot 35.6 percent (21-59) to Florida Atlantic's 34.3 percent (23-67). JMU hit on its first 14 free throws but then converted on only 11 of its last 25.

Fanning hit on 12 of 15 free throw tries, both career highs for him and JMU season highs for an individual.