TOWSON HOLDS OFF DUKES FOR MEN'S CAA BASKETBALL WIN

Monday, February 8

Towson, Md.

7:00 p.m.

James Madison University

10-14, 3-10CAA

Towson

6-17, 3-10CAA

James Madison

Towson

2/9/2010 3:36:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

TOWSON, Md., Feb. 8, 2019 - Junior guard Jerrel Smith led five Towson players in double figures in scoring, and the Tigers held off James Madison during the closing minute for an 81-78 Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball victory Monday.

The game was rescheduled from Saturday (Feb. 6) because of the weekend's winter storm.

Towson took control with a 12-0 first-half scoring run and led 57-41 with 12:07 to play. JMU got to within 64-60 and cut the lead to 79-78 on a three-point field goal by freshman guard Darren White (Danville, Va./Dan River) with five seconds to play before Towson's Troy Franklin hit on two free throws with four seconds left for the final points of the game. JMU didn't get off a final shot after Franklin's free throws.

Towson improved to 6-17 overall and to 3-10 in the CAA with the win while JMU fell to 10-14 overall and to 3-10 in the conference.

Smith hit on seven of 10 shots from the field and also had five rebounds for Towson.

Junior forward Denzel Bowles (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) had 29 points and 13 rebounds, sophomore forward Julius Wells (Toledo, Ohio/Libbey) 18 points and White 12 points for JMU.

A 23-7 scoring run, capped by three-point field goals by senior guard Pierre Curtis (Denver, Colo./East) and Wells, allowed JMU to pull to within 64-60 with 4:53 to play, but Towson ran the margin back to 10 points at 72-62 with 2:18 left.

JMU still trailed 77-69 before Wells hit for a three-point field goal at 0:27, but the Tigers got an Isaiah Philmore free throw at 0:24 for a 78-72 edge. A Curtis three-point play with 18 seconds remaining cut the lead to 78-75 before a Josh Brown free throw at 0:15 gave Towson a 79-75 lead. White scored from the left corner on the ensuing JMU possession to pull the Dukes to within one, but they couldn't score again.

JMU led 21-18 at the 12:05 mark of the first half but had only two field goals during the remainder of the period as Towson built a 35-28 lead. The Tigers scored 12 straight points to lead 30-21 before two Wells free throws with 4:02 left in the half broke the JMU draught. The Dukes' only two field goals over the last 12 minutes of the half came on a follow-shot dunk by White and a steal and breakaway dunk by Bowles.

JMU trailed only 39-33 2:27 into the second half before a 9-0 Towson scoring run raised the margin to 48-33 with 14:47 to play.

RaShawn Polk added 13 points off the bench Robert Nwankwo 11 points and five rebounds as a reserve, and Philmore and Josh Brown 10 points each for Towson.

Bowles hit on 10 of 16 shots from the field and nine of 14 free throws for the Dukes, and his scoring-rebounding "double-double" was his ninth in 16 JMU games. Wells hit on six of 12 shots and had four three-pointers, and White hit on four of seven shots and had two three-point field goals.

Curtis had six points and four assists and tied JMU's career record of 420 career assists by Joe Pfahler (1972-76).

JMU shot 50.9 percent overall (27-53) and had nine three-point field goals and a 40-25 rebounding advantage but turned the ball over 22 times.

Towson shot 49.1 percent (26-5