Dalembert's Double-Double Powers Dukes Past Elon

Saturday, January 14

Harrisonburg, Va.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

6-13, 4-2CAA

Elon

10-9, 2-4CAA

Elon

James Madison

1/14/2017 8:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score @JMUMBasketball 2016-17 Schedule 2016-17 Statistics Box Score Photo Gallery Video Recap

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Senior forward Yohanny Dalembert racked up 15 points and 17 rebounds as James Madison held off a furious charge from Elon to pick up a crucial 60-59 win over the Phoenix in Colonial Athletic Association action at the JMU Convocation Center.

The Dukes improved to 6-13 (4-2 CAA) with another stellar defensive effort, holding Elon, which fell to 10-9 (2-4 CAA) in the loss well under its average of 77.1 points per game, despite the Phoenix hitting 13 of their 28 first-half shots (46.4 percent) and going 9-of-19 (47.3 percent) from the three-point line before the break.

Dalembert erupted for his best game of the season, going 5-of-6 from the field and hitting five free throws to rack up 15 points, his third double-digit effort in a row, while setting a new career high with 17 boards. The senior forward added a season-high four assists and two blocks for good measure.

After being recognized for his 1,000th point in a pregame ceremony, senior guard Jackson Kent racked up a game-high 21 points on a night that saw him go 4-of-7 from the three-point line, adding five rebounds and a pair of assists, while senior forward Paulius Satkus went 5-of-7 from the field to chip in 12 points of his own.

Elon took a 35-30 lead into halftime after its hot-shooting opening period, but the Dukes rallied after the break, cutting the lead to one on three separate occasions before erupting for an 11-0 run across 4:40 late in the second half. The stretch turned a 49-44 Elon lead at the 7:49 mark into a 55-49 JMU advantage with just 2:49 to play.

The Phoenix would rally, hitting a pair of three-pointers in the final two minutes before picking up a putback layup that made it 60-59 with 35 seconds left, but JMU picked up one final stop, pressuring an Elon jumper with two seconds left to force a final miss and earn the victory.

Sophomore forward Tyler Seibring tallied 17 points on the evening to pace three double-digit scorers for the Phoenix, while the Dukes held sophomore guard Steven Santa Ana, Elon's leading scorer entering the game at 13.4ppg, to just five points on 2-of-10 shooting.

QUOTING COACH ROWE
"I'm proud of these guys. On Thursday, there were a lot of guys who were down and taking it on themselves in a team loss. Tonight was a team win. It was a battle against a really good team, but I thought that we continued to fight through mistakes and I'm really happy to get a team win."

PHOTO OF THE GAME | COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY
79802

Seniors Yohanny Dalembert, Jackson Kent and Paulius Satkus huddle late in the second half of the Dukes' win over Elon. The trio all scored in double figures to lead JMU to the victory.

CAA STANDINGS
6-0 | UNCW
6-0 | Charleston
5-1 | Northeastern
4-2 | James Madison
2-3 | William & Mary
2-4 | Elon
2-4 | Towson
1-4 | Drexel
1-5 | Hofstra
0-6 | Delaware

UP NEXT
The Dukes hit the road for a pair of contests next weekend, traveling to William & Mary for a 7 p.m. bout on Thursday, Jan. 19 before heading south for a rematch at College of Charleston at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21.