JMU Opens Three-Game Road Trip Saturday at Towson

Saturday, February 7

Towson, Md.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

Towson

2/6/2015 2:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

2014-15 JMU MEN'S BASKETBALL

GAME #25

13-11 (6-5 CAA)

JMU Game Notes

James Madison at Towson
SECU Arena (5,200) – Towson, Md.
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2015 - 2 p.m.
TV: Comcast SportsNet, The Comcast Network, SNY (TD)

Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

Twitter: @JMUMBasketball, #JMUDukes

11-13 (4-7 CAA)

Game Plan

James Madison opens a three-game road trip Saturday afternoon when it takes on Towson at SECU Arena. This is the second of two meetings between the teams this season.
This game can be seen live on Comcast SportsNet (Mid-Atlantic, Chicago Plus, Bay Area, Northwest) and The Comcast Network (Philadelphia) and tape delayed on SportsNet New York (Sunday 4:30 p.m.). It can also be viewed online at CAA.TV (subject to local blackout).
Fans can also listen to the action online on the JMU/nTelos Wireless Broadcast Network and on the local airwaves at WSVA AM 550 and 92.1 FM beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Scouting Report

JMU enters Saturday with a 13-11 overall record and 6-5 mark in the CAA while Towson is 11-13 and 4-7 on the year. The Dukes are 4-4 on the road this season while the Tigers are 4-5 at home.
This marks the 43rd meeting between the two programs and JMU leads the series 28-14. The Dukes also own a 10-9 record in games played at Towson. In the previous meeting, JMU ended a three-game skid to the Tigers with a 61-52 win on Jan. 3, 2015, in the CAA openers for both squads.
In that game, JMU shot 59 percent as a team and Jackson Kent scored a game-high 15 points while hitting three treys. JMU built a 16-point, second-half lead but the Tigers used a 10-0 run to cut the lead to just four points with five minutes left. JMU answered with six straight points and Towson never got closer than seven down the stretch.
Last time out for the Dukes, JMU dropped a 77-65 home decision to UNCW for its second straight defeat. Freddie Jackson led the Seahawks with 26 points and the visitors used runs of 13-3 to start the game, 14-3 to end the half and 10-2 in the second to secure the road win. Ron Curry led the Dukes with 21 points and Tom Vodanovich produced 12 points while Joey McLean accrued a career-high 11 points.
Comparing Saturday's teams through conference-only stats, JMU outscores Towson by just under two points per game (66.3-61.4) but the Tigers boast the league's best scoring defense (64.0) while the Dukes are fifth in points allowed (67.5.). JMU has the advantage on the shooting end, going 47 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from deep, as opposed to TU's 41.6 percent and a league-low 29.2 percent from three. Defensively, JMU holds the best shooting defense (.425) but ranks ninth in 3-point defense (.386) Towson is fourth in shooting defense (.429) and leads the conference in defending the perimeter (.304). Towson has a big advantage on the glass, ranking second in rebounding margin (+5.5), while JMU is seventh (-2.3).
Players to watch are JMU's Ron Curry and Towson's John Davis.
Curry leads the Dukes with 12.3 points per game, including the league's seventh-best 15.3 points per game during CAA play. He has accrued 17 double-figure scoring games, including 10 straight. Over the last five outings, he has scored at least 15 points, including a career-high 25 points in JMU's come-from-behind win at Hofstra on Jan. 24. He also tallies 4.1 rebounds per game and has led the Dukes over the last four game with 6.3 boards per contest. He also leads the Dukes with 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals.
Davis leads TU with 12.1 points per game and has 17 games with 10 or more points. He also leads the Tigers with 8.0 rebounds per game, which ranks second in the CAA. He has 10 double-doubles this season, which included a 15-rebound game back in November.
The Dukes next head to Newark, Del., on Tuesday for an 8 p.m. meeting with Delaware at the Bob Carpenter Center. That game will also be televised on CSN, TCN and SNY.

Previous 10 Meetings between JMU and Towson
2014-15: JMU 61, Towson 52 (Jan. 3, 2015 in Harrisonburg)
2013-14: Towson 80, JMU 71 (March 8, 2014 in Baltimore) - CAA Quarterfinals
2013-14: Towson 69, JMU 66 (Feb. 26, 2014 in Harrisonburg)
2013-14: Towson 80, JMU 71 (Feb. 4, 2014 in Towson)
2012-13: JMU 75, Towson 70 (Feb. 12, 2013 in Harrisonburg)
2012-13: Towson 73, JMU 47 (Jan. 19, 2013 in Towson)
2011-12: JMU 65, Towson 59 (Feb. 25, 2012 in Harrisonburg)
2011-12: JMU 58, Towson 56 (Feb. 11, 2012 in Towson)
2010-11: JMU 72, Towson 61 (Feb. 15, 2011 in Towson)
2010-11: JMU 99, Towson 68 (Jan. 5, 2011 in Harrisonburg)
JMU leads 28-14 (JMU lead 10-9 on road)