Dukes Earn Physical Win Over Towson, 73-59

Saturday, January 9

Harrisonburg, Va.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

12-5, 2-2CAA

Towson

11-6, 2-2CAA

Towson

James Madison

1/9/2016 7:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison turned in one of its best defensive efforts of the season on Saturday afternoon, holding Towson to just 34.6% (18-for-52) shooting from the floor as the Dukes notched a 73-59 win in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball action at the JMU Convocation Center.

JMU, which improved to 12-5 (2-2 CAA) with its first home CAA win, shot 41.3% (19-for-46) from the field on the day, including a 41.2% (7-for-17) clip from the three-point line. The Dukes also held the Tigers, who fell to 11-6 (2-2 CAA) with the loss, scoreless for a 7:54 stretch that spanned from the 4:14 mark in the first half to the 16:20 mark in the second half.

The Dukes' 17 three-point attempts were tied for the least of any game this season, as JMU repeatedly drove the lane for shorter looks, drawing fouls when those weren't available. On the game, the Dukes went 28-for-34 (82.4%) from the charity stripe, setting a season-high for made free throws and tying their most attempts on the year.

Junior guard Shakir Brown led the way for the JMU offense, scoring nine of the Dukes' first 11 points and finishing with 14 for the game to mark his 10th double-digit performance of the season. Senior guard Ron Curry made the most of a relatively quiet scoring night, tallying 12 points, five assists and a steal in 31 minutes of turnover-free basketball.

Junior forward Dimitrije Cabarkapa turned in a perfect shooting evening for the Dukes, going 4-for-4 from the field and hitting his only two three-point attempts and only free throw to notch 11 points in addition to four rebounds.

After Towson tied the game for the final time with a three-pointer at the 4:14 mark of the first half, the Dukes scores 13 straight points across the two periods to take a 39-26 lead and put themselves ahead for good.

The Tigers would cut the lead down to as few as six at the 13:20 mark, but would get no closer as a three-pointer from Curry and free throws from senior guard Winston Grays III and junior forward Yohanny Dalembert would give JMU a double-digit lead that closed out the contest.

William Adala Moto would lead the way for Towson on the afternoon, posting a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Mike Morsell added 12 points.

QUOTING COACH BRADY - COMPLETE BRADY POSTGAME - COMPLETE PLAYERS POSTGAME
"When you play Towson, you know what's coming. You're going to have to play physical, you're going to have to deliver the first blow when the ball goes in the air. That's a really good basketball team. They are terrific defensively, they're really good on the glass and they're long, strong, tough guys."

TWEET OF THE GAME

Big win for @JMUMBasketball and @CoachMattBrady. Let keep it going up north next week. #GODUKES
— Dave Thomas (@DTRadioGuy) January 10, 2016

CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOKS
Senior guard Ron Curry continued his march up JMU's scoring charts, despite just 12 points on Saturday. He now has 1,279 for his career, moving him past Eugene Atkinson (1,276; 1995-99) and into sole possession of 16th all-time for the Dukes. Just ahead of him are Steve Hood (1,282; 1989-91) and George Toliver (1,287; 1969-73) in 15th and 14th, respectively.

Curry also played 31 minutes on Saturday, giving him 3,713 for his career and moving him past the 3,688 of Julius Wells (2008-12) and into third all-time. Devon Moore (2008-13) and Pierre Curtis (2006-10) are in first and second with 4,177 and 4,137, respectively.

PLAY OF THE GAME - COMPLETE HIGHLIGHTS

Senior guard Ron Curry drilled this deep three-pointer with 12:47 on the clock, halting a 7-0 Towson run that had cut JMU's lead to 44-38. Curry's bucket kickstarted a 10-2 run for the Dukes, giving JMU a 54-40 advantage that would never dip back into single digits.

HOLDING THE LEAD
With the victory, JMU is now 10-0 this season when it enters the locker room at halftime with a lead. The Dukes have won those 10 contests by an average of 14.7 points, but are just 2-5 when they trail going into the locker room.

PICTURE OF THE GAME - COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY

Sophomore guard Joey McLean, freshman guard Kevin Kangni and junior forward Dimitrije Cabarkapa celebrate a late bucket in the Dukes' 73-59 win on Saturday.

AROUND THE CAA
In other league action, CAA leader Northeastern dropped its first conference contest on Saturday afternoon, falling at William & Mary by a 78-60 margin. Drexel also picked up its first league win of the season with a 61-54 home win over College of Charleston, which entered the day at No. 47 in the RPI.

UP NEXT
The Dukes hit the road for a pair of games next weekend, traveling north for contests at Northeastern (Jan. 14, 7 p.m.) and Hofstra (Jan. 16, 4 p.m.) on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.