DUKES FALL76-62 AT TOWSON IN MEN'S BASKETBALL WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, February 14

Towson, Md.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

7-19 (4-12CAA)

Towson

14-13 (8-8CAA)

James Madison

Towson

2/14/2007 5:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

TOWSON, Md., Feb. 14, 2007 ? Gary Neal scored 17 of his game-high 26 points during the second half to lead Towson to a 76-62 victory over James Madison in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball Wednesday.

The host Tigers led only 33-31 at halftime, but built a 12-point lead by the 6:06 mark of the final period, held off a flurry that got JMU to within four points and pulled away again during the closing minutes.

Neal, the CAA's leading scorer with a 25.5 average, had only nine points during the opening period, but of Towson's first 16 second-half points he scored 13 and assisted on a three-point field goal that accounted for the remainder. Neal hit on nine of 19 shots overall and had three field goals from three-point range, four assists, and two steals in 33 minutes.

Towson improved to 14-13 overall and to 8-8- in the CAA with the victory. JMU fell to 7-19 overall and to 4-12 in the CAA.

The Tigers led 62-50 on a Winstonn Tubbs dunk with 5:40 remaining before JMU's ran off eight straight points to get to within 62-58.

Junior forward Terrance Carter (District Heights, Md./Largo) cut the margin to 62-52 with a jumper at the 5:04 mark, and sophomore guard Joe Posey (Colonial Beach, Va./Notre Dame Academy) hit for three-point field goals on consecutive JMU possessions to get the Dukes to within four with 3:42 to play.

However, Towson got a layup from Tubbs on the following possession to lead 64-58, and after a JMU missed shot, the Tigers' Jonathan Peace raised the lead to 66-58 with a field goal following consecutive offensive rebounds.

JMU got only one more field goal, a jumper from sophomore forward Juwann James (Jacksonville, Fla./Raines) to cut the lead to 66-60 with 2:24 to play.

Tubbs supported Neal with 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Towson while JMU put three players in double figures in scoring.

Carter had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Dukes, his sixth scoring-rebounding "double-double" of the season. He also had three steals and a blocked shot in 33 minutes.

Freshman guard Pierre Curtis (Denver, Colo./East) had 14 points and four assists in 38 minutes, and James had 10 points and five rebounds in 35 minutes. Curtis hit on six of nine shots, and the Dukes also got nine points, two assists and four steals from Posey and eight points and three assists from sophomore forward Kyle Swanston (Spring Hill, Fla./Hernando).

JMU shot 44 percent (11-25) to Towson's 37 percent (11-30) during the opening half but fell to 35 percent (10-29) while the Tigers were shooting 54 percent (15-28) during the final period.

JMU goes on the road again Saturday (Feb. 17) to meet Siena at p.m. in Albany, N.Y., as part of ESPN's BracketBusters series. Towson Saturday plays a BracketBusters game at 2 p.m. at Bucknell.