Dukes Fall to Rice in Home Opener

Sunday, November 13

Harrisonburg, Va.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

0-2

Rice

1-0

Rice

James Madison

11/13/2016 6:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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HARRISONBURG, Va. - Junior guard Joey McLean scored a career-high 20 points on Sunday afternoon, but James Madison faltered in the second half as Rice handed the Dukes a 94-70 loss in non-conference men's basketball action at the JMU Convocation Center.

The Dukes (0-2) outrebounded Rice by a 25-21 margin and shot 50-percent (19-38) from the field, but committed 25 turnovers as a team as the Owls racked up 36 points off turnovers to start their season with a 1-0 mark.

McLean's 20 points paced the Dukes, as the High Point Christian grad went 4-7 from the field and 11-12 at the free throw line to eclipse his previous career high, a 15-point outing against Northeastern on Feb. 18, 2016. Senior guard Shakir Brown joined McLean in double-figures for the second time in as many games, tallying 10 points and four rebounds on the evening.

Junior guard Egor Koulechov led the way for Rice with a game-high 23 points on 8-13 shooting, including a 4-7 effort from the three-point line. Sophomore guard Marcus Evans added 20 points, four assists and four steals, while Marcus Jackson opened his season with a 19-point, 8-assist effort.

In a contest that saw the two teams whistled for 53 fouls combined, both squads performed well at the charity stripe. Rice went 27-34 (79.4-percent) on the evening, while the Dukes were 25-32 (78.1-percent).

JMU's final lead of the evening came with 6:27 to play in the first half, but the Dukes battled throughout, keeping the margin within single-digits until midway through the second half. Senior forward Tom Vodanovich jarred a three-pointer from the corner with 11:42 left to cut the deficit to 63-59, but the Owls would respond with a 14-0 run that included two three-pointers and a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays.

The Dukes would cut the lead to 15 on multiple occasions, but would get no closer as Rice closed the game out on a 14-5 run across the final 6:54.

QUOTING COACH ROWE
"This obviously wasn't the effort we wanted tonight. We need to be stronger with the ball. Rice presses well and we expected it, but we just weren't strong enough with the ball. We need to get back to work and improve our mental toughness and preparation."

UP NEXT
The Dukes hit the road this week, as they head to Bozeman, Mont. for a contest at Montana State on Friday evening. The Bobcats are 0-1 this year, after falling at Washington State, 69-65 on Friday evening. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. MT and live video coverage will be provided at MSUBobcats.com.