Game Story; La Salle 67, JMU 59

Tuesday, December 3

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James Madison University

La Salle

James Madison

12/3/2002 2:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. (12/3/2002) – La Salle took an 18-point lead early during the second half and held on for a 67-59 victory, spoiling JMU's home-opener.

Gary Neal led the Explorers, who shot 38.2 percent (21-55), with a game-high 21 points. Jermaine Thomas added 13 points, and Steven Smith had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Smith scored seven consecutive points after JMU rallied to take its only lead, 45-44, on a three-point play by Ian Caskill. Smith, a 6-foot-8 forward, sandwiched a short jumper from the right side with a pair of layups. He was fouled on the second layup and converted a three-point play as the Explorers gained a 51-45 lead with 5:26 remaining.

The Dukes got to within 51-47 on two Caskill free throws with 4:45 remaining, but La Salle scored the next six points and the Dukes got no closer than six the rest of the way.

The Explorers led 29-19 at halftime and scored the first seven points after the break, capped by a Smith layup, for a 36-19 lead with 18:36 remaining. Their largest margin was 40-22 with 16:37 left.

The Dukes, who shot 35.6 percent (21-59), charged back with a 23-4 run with Caskill capping the outburst with seven consecutive points. Daniel Freeman came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points for the Dukes, eight of which came during the comeback. Freeman's previous scoring best was 15 points against William & Mary during the previous season.

Both teams shot poorly at the game's beginning, and the contest was tied at 8-8 with 12:22 to play in the half. The Explorers used their first big run of the night, a 9-0 blitz, to take a 17-8 advantage with 8:33 to play before the half.

Caskill registered his second consecutive and third overall double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds.