Kent's Double-Double Propels Dukes Past Delaware, 73-63

Saturday, January 2

Newark, Del.

12 p.m.

James Madison University

11-4, 1-1CAA

Delaware

5-8, 0-2CAA

JMU

Delaware

1/2/2016 4:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

NEWARK, Del. - Junior guard Jackson Kent posted the first double-double of his career to lead James Madison to a 73-63 victory over Delaware in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Kent poured in a season-high 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including a 4-for-7 mark from behind the arc, and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Dukes improved to 11-4 (1-1 CAA) on the season. The High Point, N.C., native's double-double made him the fifth different Duke to record at least one this season.

Delaware fell to 5-8 (0-2 CAA) with its fifth straight loss.

Senior guard Ron Curry bounced back from a scoreless first half to rack up 17 points on a 5-for-8 performance after the break, as well as a 3-for-6 mark on three-pointers. The afternoon marked Curry's seventh consecutive double-digit scoring day and 13th of the year.

The Dukes seized control early with a 19-4 run that gave JMU a 19-8 lead at the 9:26 mark in the first half. After the Blue Hens responded with a pair of layups to cut the advantage to 19-12 at the 8:34 mark, junior forward Dimitrije Cabarkapa drilled a three-pointer that put the Dukes up by double-digits for good at 22-12.

JMU would hold Delaware without a field goal for the remainder of the half and stretch its lead to 15 on multiple occasions, including the 35-20 halftime margin. In the opening period, the Dukes shot 8-for-19 from behind the arc and held the Blue Hens to 5-for-29 (17.2%) shooting from the field, including a 0-for-11 performance from long range.

After the break, JMU used an 8-2 run to push its lead to 18 and never looked back. Two free throws from junior forward Yohanny Dalembert would put the Dukes up by a game-high 19 with 2:02 to play and Delaware did not get within 11 points until its final free throw made it 73-63 with 23 seconds left.

Senior guard Winston Grays III proved crucial off the bench for the Dukes on the afternoon, scoring all of his season-high 13 points in the opening half with a 4-for-6 shooting performances that also saw him sink three of his five three-pointers.

Dalembert was held to three points on the day, but grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for the Dukes, while Cabarkapa tallied eight points on the afternoon and pulled down four boards.

Anthony Mosley led the way for the Blue Hens, posting his first career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. For the second consecutive contest, the Dukes quieted an opposing team's top scorer, as they held preseason second team All-CAA pick Kory Holden to just seven points on 3-for-11 shooting. The sophomore guard had entered the contest averaging 17.4 points per game, fourth-most in the league.

QUOTING COACH BRADY
"I think this was what we can become. I thought our ball movement side-to-side was much better today. We got each other open shots; obviously, Jackson [Kent] had a terrific first half. I think Jackson had one of his better games in a JMU uniform. Our defense, especially our second-shot defense and our blockouts were significantly better. We learned our lesson from Charleston on Thursday."

CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOKS
Senior guard Ron Curry continued his march up multiple JMU top-10 lists with his performance on Saturday afternoon. His 17 points gives him 1,244 for his career, lifting him past Pierre Curtis (1,237; 2006-10) and into 18th all-time at JMU. Dan Ruland (1979-83) sits in 17th with 1,255, while Eugene Atkinson (1995-99) has 1,276 in 16th.

Curry also moved into a tie for fourth all-time at JMU with Ben Gordon (1986-88) at 354 assists and started his 96th career game, tied for 10th all-time with Atkinson.

ROAD WARRIORS
With the win, the Dukes improve to 4-0 in true road games this season. After last season saw the Dukes go 7-6 away from home, including a 6-3 mark in CAA road games, in one of the best seasons of road play in program history, the Dukes have now won 11 of their last 17 and 10 of their last 13 games on unfriendly courts.

DEEP BENCH
The Dukes' bench proved crucial in Saturday's win, as JMU picked up 27 points from non-starters while Delaware got just six. Production from the bench proved even more crucial in the first half, when junior guard Jackson Kent was the only player in the starting lineup to record a point, racking up 12, and the Dukes' non-starters outscored the Blue Hens' bench, 23-1. Senior guard Winston Grays III came off the bench to score 13 points before the break, while junior forward Dimitrije Cabarkapa added eight and junior forward Paulius Satkus tacked on a layup.

23 STRAIGHT FOR CABARKAPA
Junior forward Dimitrije Cabarkapa the first of his two three-pointers with 12:00 remaining in the first half, giving him at least one trey in 23 consecutive contests. Cabarkapa has shot a brisk 45.3% (39-86) clip across that stretch.

UP NEXT
The Dukes return home for the first of two straight home games on Thursday, Jan. 7, when they play host to Elon at 7 p.m. The Phoenix entered Saturday with a 9-5 (0-1 CAA) record after falling at Duke and dropping their league opener against Northeastern, but face Drexel (2-10, 0-1 CAA) at home on Saturday at 4 p.m.