VCU PULLS WAY TO BEAT JMU IN MEN'S BASKETBALL

Wednesday, February 25

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

18-12, 9-8

VCU

20-9, 13-4

Virginia Commonwealth

James Madison

2/25/2009 5:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va., Feb. 25, 2009 ? Senior guard Eric Maynor (Raeford, N.C.) scored 12 of his team-high 18 points during the final half, and Virginia Commonwealth pulled away during the final 7½ minutes to beat James Madison 71-52 in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball Wednesday at the JMU Convocation Center.

The visiting Rams, who improved to 20-9 overall and clinched at least tie for the CAA's regular-season championship while improving to 13-4 in the conference, led only 45-42 before holding JMU to two field goals after a layup by freshman forward Andrey Semenov (St. Petersburg, Russia/Blue Ridge School) with 7:31 remaining.

VCU got a three-point play from Maynor with 7:24 to play and a three-point play on a steal and layup by Bradford Burgess to lead 51-42 with 7:16 remaining. JMU got a field goal from sophomore guard Ben Louis (Melbourne, Australia/St. Francis Xavier) at the 6:32 mark to get to within 51-44, but the Rams then got seven points during a 24-second span to lead 58-44 with 5:52 left and weren't threatened the rest of the way.

JMU fell to 18-12 overall and to 9-8 in the conference with the loss in the final home game in the careers of senior forward Juwann James (Jacksonville, Fla./Raines), senior forward Kyle Swanston (Spring Hill, Fla./Hernando) and senior guard Abdulai Jalloh (District Heights, Md./National Christian Academy). James led JMU with a game-high 19 points while neither Swanston nor Jalloh played. Swanston missed the game because of illness, and Jalloh hasn't play