Game Story; Drexel 82, JMU 62

Thursday, January 2

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James Madison University

4-7, 0-1

Drexel

6-4, 1-0

Drexel

James Madison

1/2/2003 2:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. (1/2/2003) – Drexel set a JMU Convocation Center record with 14 three-point field goals and won the Colonial Athletic Association opener for both teams 82-62 over JMU.

Center Robert Battle had a game-high 17 points from the inside while five of his teammates joined him in double figures in scoring with their outside shooting. Battle, the 2002 CAA defensive player of the year and first-team all-league honoree, also had a game-high 11 rebounds.

Drexel's Tim Whitworth was one of four Dragons to connect for at least three three-pointers and finished with 15 points. Eric Schmieder, Danny Hinds and Phil Goss also hit on three three-pointers and finished with 11 points each. Jeremiah King added two three-pointers and 12 points.

The Dragons took control with a 12-0 run for a 17-5 lead with 12:11 left in the first half. Whitworth led the charge with seven points during the surge, capping it with a three-pointer.

The Dukes got to within points five twice, the last at 21-16 with 8:19 left in the half. Drexel then used a 10-0 run – three-pointers from Hinds and Goss and four free throws from Battle – to take a 31-16 lead and led 40-28 at halftime.

Ian Caskill scored on back-to-back layups to get JMU within 43-34 with 18:15 to play, but the Dukes got no closer.

Drexel shot 47 percent from three-point range (14-30) and broke the facility record of 12 three-pointers previously held by Furman (1/3/95) on 30 attempts. The Dragons shot 48 percent (29-60) overall.

The Dukes' top scorer was Chris Williams with 12 points. Pat Mitchell added 11 points and shared team-high rebounding honors with Caskill with five.

JMU's David Fanning was held to a season-low four points, his lowest output since scoring four points in each of his last two games of the 2000-01 season. Fanning entered the game averaging a team-best 16.3 points per game, and he led the CAA with his 18.0 scoring average the previous season.

JMU shot 43.4 percent (23-53) and was out-rebounded 34-26. Drexel had eight turnovers and JMU 9.