Dukes Battle Florida in 72-63 Loss

Wednesday, December 20

Gainesville, Fla.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

4-9

Florida

7-4

James Madison

12/20/2017 11:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score @JMUMBasketball 2017-18 MBB Schedule 2017-18 Statistics Box Score

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Senior Ramone Snowden matched his career high with 18 points to lead four double-digit scorers on Wednesday night, but James Madison fell behind late as Florida handed the Dukes a tough 72-63 loss at Exactech Arena in JMU's non-conference finale.

The Dukes (4-9) was never out of the contest, holding the athletic Gators (7-4) to 37.9 percent (22-of-58) shooting and a 10-of-31 (32.3 percent) clip from behind the arc. JMU matched Florida with 22 points in the paint, but was undone by the Gators' 23 points off 18 turnovers, including 13 in the second half.

Snowden was flawless from the field in his best offensive performance of the season, going 5-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep, with all three treys coming in the second half as the Dukes fought to reel in Florida. The senior, who is now shooting 52.6 percent (30-of-57) from the field this year, added eight rebounds on the night, matching his career high, in addition to two assists, two steals and a block across 32 minutes.

Freshman Matt Lewis provided the spark in the first half, scoring 12 of his 14 points prior to halftime, while junior Stuckey Mosley and freshman Darius Banks each added 10 points, with Mosley tacking on five boards and four assists.

Although the Dukes led for less than a minute on the evening, they were always within range in a game full of runs for both teams. After trailing just 31-30 at the break, the Dukes wouldn't fall behind by more than 10 until the 6:03 mark. When the Gators took a 66-52 lead with 5:26 to play, JMU put together a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 70-63 before Florida sealed the win.

QUOTING COACH ROWE
"We're making steps forward and I'm proud of that. We made some mistakes and didn't play with the poise we needed to at times tonight and a good SEC team is going to make you pay for that on their home court. This was another game to build on when we get back to work for a tough conference schedule."

QUICK HITS
- Despite a size disadvantage, the Dukes outrebounded Florida by a 39-35 margin on the evening. Snowden's eight led the way, while freshmen Greg Jones and Dwight Wilson each added six.
- The Dukes hit 13 of their 16 (81.3 percent) free throws on the road, marking the fourth time in six games JMU has shot at least 80 percent from the line. Over those six games, JMU has made 87 of its 112 free throws, good for a 77.7 percent clip.
- JMU racked up 10 steals on the evening, the third game in the last four in which the Dukes have tallied double-digit steals.
- Wednesday marked the Dukes' eight consecutive game decided by fewer than 10 points.

UP NEXT
The Dukes have closed out their non-conference schedule and will next hit the court on Wednesday, Dec. 27, when they host West Virginia Wesleyan in an exhibition at 2 p.m. JMU will then open it's Colonial Athletic Association schedule at home with matchups against Northeastern (Dec. 30; 4 p.m.) and William & Mary (Jan. 2; 7 p.m.).