Curry's 23 Points Lift JMU Over ECU, 67-61

Sunday, December 20

Harrisonburg, Va.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

9-3

East Carolina

7-5

East Carolina

James Madison

12/20/2015 5:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison used a 7-0 run over the final 1:34 to capture its seventh straight win, a 67-61 triumph over East Carolina in non-conference men's basketball action at the JMU Convocation Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Dukes, who moved to 9-3 with the win, held ECU without a field goal for the final 5:46 en route to the victory, picking up a season-high 23 points from senior guard Ron Curry. The Pirates dropped to 7-5 with the loss.

With ECU holding a 61-60 lead after a pair of free throws at the 2:48 mark, Curry kicked off a trio of quick passes before drilling a three-pointer from the left wing to put the Dukes up for good at the 1:34 mark. On the Pirates' next possession, the senior blocked a three-point attempt from the Pirates to give JMU the ball back.

After junior forward Tom Vodanovich hit a jumper in the lane to extend the lead to four, Curry again made his presence known, forcing a turnover with 22 seconds left. After junior guard Shakir Brown hit a pair of free throws, ECU's long three-pointer missed the target and JMU was able to run out the clock.

Curry finished with 23 points on the day, including 13 in the second half on 5-for-6 shooting, the fourth-highest total by a JMU player this season. The performance, which included seven rebounds, marked the senior's fourth 20-point effort of the year.

Brown joined Curry in double-digits with 13 points, while junior forward Dimitrije Cabarkapa added 11 of his own on 4-for-5 shooting. Junior forward Yohanny Dalembert proved crucial on the boards, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds in an eight-point performance.

Caleb White led the way for the Pirates, scoring 20 points on a 6-for-13 performance from the three-point line, while Kanu Aja tallied 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

QUOTING COACH BRADY - COMPLETE BRADY POSTGAME - COMPLETE PLAYERS POSTGAME
"We anticipated this game would be really, really close and it was a 'sit on the edge of your seat' kind of game. We're really fortunate that we made just enough plays to win."

TWEET OF THE GAME

Another one #7inaRow ??
— Winston Grays (@W_Grays23) December 20, 2015

BRADY'S 200TH
Sunday afternoon's victory marked the 200th career win in the head coaching career of Matt Brady. Brady tallied a record of 73-50 in four seasons as the head coach at Marist and is now 127-119 at JMU, giving him a 200-169 career record in his 12th season as a head coach.

CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOKS
With his 23 points on Sunday afternoon, senior guard Ron Curry now has 1,191 points in his career at JMU, the 20th-most in program history. Andrey Semenov (2008-14) sits just ahead in 19th with 1,203, while Pierre Curtis (2006-10) has 1,237 in 18th.

PLAY OF THE GAME - COMPLETE HIGHLIGHTS

Senior guard Ron Curry buried this three from the left wing with 1:34 remaining to give the Dukes their final lead in Sunday's 67-61 win over East Carolina. Curry would finish with a season-high 23 points.

CONTROL THE BOARDS
The Dukes won the rebound battle on Sunday afternoon, 37-34, marking the sixth time in the last seven contests that JMU has outrebounded its opponent. JMU is now 8-0 when it has the advantage on the glass and won the only game in which the two teams had the same amount of boards.

PHOTO OF THE GAME - COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY

Senior guard Ron Curry celebrates after forcing an ECU turnover with just 22 seconds left in the Dukes' 67-61 win over the Pirates.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will be back in action in just two days, when they welcome Mount St. Mary's to the Convo for a 7 p.m. bout on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The Mountaineers have dropped consecutive decisions at UMBC and Lehigh to fall to 3-8 this year.