DUKES FALL 69-60 TO TOWSON IN MEN'S BASKETBALL

Monday, January 29

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1/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

DUKES FALL 69-60 TO TOWSON IN MEN'S BASKETBALL

Junior forward Terrance Carter had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Dukes Wednesday against Towson

Game Statistics

HARRISONBURG, Va., Jan. 29, 2007 ? Junior forward Jonathan Pease (Mechanicsville, Md.) put Towson ahead with a three-point field goal at the end of the first half, and the visiting Tigers took control early during the final period to beat James Madison 69-60 in men's Colonial Athletic Association basketball Monday at the JMU Convocation Center.

JMU twice during the opening half held nine-point leads, but Pease's three-pointer form the right corner with five seconds left in the period gave Towson a 27-25 advantage. JMU then committed turnovers on its first three possessions of the final half and never was closer than four points again.

The Tigers, who improved to 11-11 overall and to 5-6 in the CAA, raised their margin to 33-27 less than four minutes into the final half, to 39-29 by the 13-minute mark and to 45-31 by the 11-minute mark.

Towson didn't get a field goal during the game's final eight minutes but hit on 17 of 24 free throws after leading 52-39.

Pease had a second three-pointer during Towson's early-second-half surge, and Tiger senior guard Gary Neal (Aberdeen, Md.) scored his 1,000th Towson point on a short jumper for his team's initial points of the final period. Neal, who transferred from La Salle, became only the third player to score 1,000 points at two Division I schools.

Neal finished with a game-high 21 points on seven-of-16 shooting from the field and also had a game-high five assists.

JMU had taken a 14-5 lead behind a three-point field goal and a three-point play from sophomore forward Kyle Swanston (Spring Hill, Fla./Hernando) and was up 20-11 at the 8:51 mark of the opening half on a free throw by freshman guard Pierre Curtis (Denver, Colo./East). However, the Dukes hit for only two more field goals during the remainder of the half, and Towson closed the period with a 9-2 scoring run.

Towson shot 57.9 percent (11-19) from the field during the final half and 51.2 percent (21-41) for the game. The Tigers converted on 24 of 34 free throws.

JMU shot 40.4 percent overall (21-52) from the field and hit on but five of 25 shots (20.0 percent) from three-point range.

Junior forward Terrance Carter (District Heights, Md./Largo) led JMU with 19 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth scoring-rebounding "double-double" of the season. He hit on five of nine field goal attempts and on each of his nine free throws.

Swanston with 12 points was JMU's only other double-figure scorer. He also had four rebounds, three assists, a blocked shot and a steal.

JMU with the loss fell to 6-15 overall and to 3-8 in the CAA.

JMU returns to action Wednesday (Jan. 31) in a 7 p.m. CAA game at William & Mary. Towson hosts Northeastern Wednesday at 7 p.m. in conference play.