DREXEL HOLDS OFF JMU IN MEN'S BASKETBALL

Wednesday, February 27

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:30 p.m.

James Madison University

12-16, 4-13

Drexel

12-18, 5-12

James Madison

Drexel

2/27/2008 5:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Feb. 27, 2008 ?Tramayne Hawthorne scored all of his team-high 15 points during the second half, and Drexel held off a late James Madison rally to beat the Dukes 70-67 in men's Colonial Athletic Association basketball Wednesday night.

Hawthorne's fourth three-point field goal gave the host Dragons a 61-50 lead with 4:31 to play, and they fought off a surge that got JMU to within one point with 18 seconds left.

Junior guard Abdulai Jalloh (District Heights, Md./National Christian Academy) pulled JMU to within 68-67 with a three-point field goal, and Dukes sophomore guard Pierre Curtis (Denver, Colo./East) nearly had a steal on the ensuing possession to give JMU a chance to take the lead. However, Drexel's Rob Hampton recovered the loose ball following Curtis' deflection and converted an easy layup for a 70-67 Dragon lead with 14 seconds to play.

JMU then missed on a three-point field try to tie the score with five seconds to play and couldn't get off a final shot after Drexel's Scott Rodgers missed two free throws with three seconds remaining.

Drexel improved to 12-18 overall and to 5-12 in the CAA with the win while JMU fell to 12-16 overall and to 4-13 in the conference.

Junior forward Juwann James (Jacksonville, Fla./Raines) had eight of his game-high 22 points during the final 2:40 to lead JMU's late rally, but Drexel hit on seven of 10 free throws during just more than three minutes before Rodgers' two late misses. Hawthorne and Rodgers both hit on three of four attempts between the 2:29 and 0:29 marks of the final period.

Hawthorne hit on four of seven shots, all from three-point range, during the final half after missing on his only shot during the opening period, and he led five Dragons in double