JMU PICKS UP EIGHTH STRAIGHT DEFEATING GEORGIA STATE 79-67

Thursday, January 13

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8:30 p.m.

James Madison University

14-3, 4-1CAA

Georgia State

8-7, 3-2CAA

Georgia State

James Madison

JMU PICKS UP EIGHTH STRAIGHT DEFEATING GEORGIA STATE 79-67

1/14/2011 4:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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HARRISONBURG, Va., Jan. 13, 2010 - Redshirt sophomore forward Andrey Semenov (St. Petersburg, Russia/Blue Ridge School) led five Dukes in double figures with 16 points as James Madison won its eighth in a row with a 79-67 decision over Georgia State in a Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball game on Thursday night at the Convocation Center.

JMU improved to 14-3 overall and 4-1 in the CAA. The Dukes maintained a tie with the 1981-82 team for the best start in school history and registered their longest winning streak since eight in a row in the 1992-93 campaign. JMU also improved to 8-0 at home for the fourth time. GSU dropped to 8-7 overall and 3-2 in the league.

Semenov scored 13 of his 16 in the second half while hitting 4-of-5 field-goal attempts and 7-of-8 free throws. He matched career highs of three blocks and three steals. Senior Denzel Bowles (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) posted his eighth double-double, 20th career, with 12 points and 11 boards to go with a season-high five assists and two blocks.

JMU also got 13 points apiece from junior guard Humpty Hitchens (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe) and sophomore guard Devon Moore (Columbus, Ohio/Northland). Junior forward Julius Wells (Toledo, Ohio/Libbey) chipped in with 11 points, including three key second half treys.

Javonte Maynor led the Panthers with 14 points while hitting four of his six three-point attempts. Marques Johnson added 12 points, five boards, and four assists while Eric Buckner posted 11 points.

The Dukes led by nine at the break and held a 34-26 lead three minutes into the second half when JMU embarked on a key 16-5 run to pull. Back-to-back Wells three-pointers ignited the run, which resulted in a 50-31 JMU lead with 10 minutes to go.

Georgia State cut it to a 10-point game at 57-47 with 6:30 left after a 16-7 run of its own. However, a quick 9-2 response by the Dukes made it a 17-point game again and JMU hit free throws down the stretch to finish the 12-point victory.

JMU, which never trailed in the game, shot 59% as a team, including 64% in the second half. The Dukes also shot 62.5% (10-of-16) from the arc, the best since also hitting 10-of-16 on Dec. 18, 2008 at Morehead State. JMU reached double-digit threes for the fourth straight game.

GSU shot 35.8% from the floor, the seventh JMU opponent in the last nine games to be held under 40%. The Panthers hit 7-of-18 three-pointers (38.9%).

JMU jumped out to a quick 23-8 lead just eight minutes into the ballgame before the Dukes went cold, failing to score over the next 5:30. However, GSU had only four points of its own over that stretch. The Panthers cut it to as close as seven points at 30-23 before the Dukes took a 32-23 lead into the break, scoring only nine points in the final 12 minutes of the half.

Despite the scoreless stretches, JMU still shot 52.6% in the half (10-19) while limiting GSU to 29% overall, 12.5% (1-8) from the arc. Bowles, Hitchens, and Moore each had eight in the half for the Dukes with Bowles adding nine boards.

JMU will be home again Saturday night hosting UNC Wilmington (9-7, 3-2 CAA) in a 7 p.m. CAA contest.

NOTES: The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was pushed back a day due to travel delays for Georgia State getting out of Atlanta... the game was played at 8:30 p.m. as part of a women's/men's doubleheader, the first at JMU since a sweep of William and Mary in 1988... the attendance of 4,445 was a season-high and the first home game with students on campus... JMU evened the season series with GSU, having lost 64-63 in Atl