Dukes Stymie Dragons in 68-45 Triumph at Home

Thursday, January 21

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

15-5, 5-2CAA

Drexel

3-15, 1-6CAA

Drexel

James Madison

1/21/2016 9:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison used stifling defense and a pair of big runs to cruise past Drexel, 68-45, for its fourth straight Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball victory on Thursday night at the JMU Convocation Center.

The Dukes improved to 15-5 overall and 5-2 in the CAA while the Dragons dropped their third in a row to fall to 3-15 and 1-6.

Redshirt junior forward Dimitrije Cabarkapa came off the bench to score a team-best 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting, while senior guard Ron Curry tallied 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes. Junior forward Yohanny Dalembert and junior guard Shakir Brown contributed nine points apiece, while junior Tom Vodanovich added six points and a game-high eight rebounds.

JMU shot 44 percent (24-54) from the floor and 73 percent (16-22) from the free throw line, while limiting Drexel to just 31 percent (15-48) shooting. The Dukes dominated the glass by a 44-20 margin, which included a 15-4 advantage on the offensive glass. JMU outscored DU 34-10 in the paint, 17-3 on second-chance points and a staggering 27-0 from reserves.

Trailing 17-15, the Dukes closed the final 7:49 of the first half on a 13-1 run to grab a 28-18 halftime lead. Drexel was held to just a single point in the final 9:30 and missed its final nine shots, going without a field goal for the last 10 minutes.

The Dragons never came closer than a seven-point margin early in the second half and, holding a 43-32 lead, the Dukes scored 11 of 13 points in just under three minutes to seize a 54-34 advantage with 7:56 left. The lead was never fewer than 17 down the stretch.

Kazembe Abif led Drexel with a game-high 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting while Terrell Allen chipped in 11.

QUOTING COACH BRADY
"I was really pleased with how our team rebounded the ball and how we defended for the most part. I thought we made a few mistakes to start the game and then I thought we really tightened up and limited our mistakes."

WINNING BIG ON HOME COURT
James Madison notched its fifth 20-point win of the season, as it previously won big against Mount St. Mary's (73-53), George Mason (69-46), Marshall (107-84) and Eastern Mennonite (106-74). All five 20+ point victories this year have come at the friendly confines of the Convocation Center.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Ron Curry gets separation after a Drexel turnover and slams it home for the fastbreak dunk.

KINGS OF THE GLASS
The Dukes controlled the boards from start to finish, outrebounding the Dragons 44-20. The +24 rebounding margin was the best of the season. JMU also accrued 15 offensive rebounds, the sixth time the team has reached that total in 2015-16.

CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOK
Ron Curry scored 12 points on Thursday to move into 12th all-time in career points at JMU. He now has 1,327 points and surpassed former teammate Devon Moore (2008-13), who had 1,317 points.

AROUND THE CAA
JMU is in a four-way tie atop the CAA standings after Thursday's games. Also at 5-2 in league play are UNCW, William & Mary and Hofstra. The Seahawks held off Delaware 79-70 in Wilmington, N.C., and the Tribe rolled to an 89-67 home win against Elon while the Pride walked out of Boston with a thrilling 96-92 victory in triple overtime at Northeastern.

NEXT UP
JMU hits the road to face Elon on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on MadiZONE HD SportsNet, via Phoenix All-Access, and can be heard on the JMU/nTelos Wireless Sports Network, beginning at 6:30 p.m.