Dukes Hold Off Northeastern in Crucial 73-69 Win

Saturday, February 4

Harrisonburg, Va.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

7-18, 5-7CAA

Northeastern

13-7, 6-6CAA

Northeastern

James Madison

2/4/2017 7:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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

HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison had its best shooting night in more than a month on Saturday afternoon, hitting 53.8 percent (28-of-52) of its shots and holding off a late Northeastern charge to pick up a big 73-69 Colonial Athletic Association win at the Convocation Center.

The Dukes (7-18, 5-7 CAA) had four players score in double figures for the second game in a row, snapping a five-game losing streak and improving to 4-2 in league games in Harrisonburg. Northeastern (13-7, 6-6 CAA) now sits just one game ahead of seventh-place JMU after its sixth loss in seven games.

Senior guard Jackson Kent again paced the Dukes on offense, racking up 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including a 4-of-7 night from the three-point line, along with five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. The performance, in which he did not leave the floor, marked the second time Kent has gone for 25 or more points this season.

Senior forwards Paulius Satkus and Ivan Lukic each picked up 10 points on the afternoon, with Lukic drilling a pair of three-pointers for the first time in his career to post his third straight double-digit scoring effort. Senior guard Shakir Brown chipped in 16 points of his own, including 11 in the second half.

The Dukes led for 36 minutes of the contest, pushing their advantage to as many as 12 with 6:16 to play in the first half. Northeastern bounced back, however, cutting the advantage to as few as two before the break before taking their only lead at 57-56 with 8:29 left.

JMU responded to that bucket with a 9-0 run that made it 65-57 with 4:34 on the clock, but the Huskies again battled back, using their own 10-2 surge to tie things at 67-67 with 1:49 to play. Kent immediately stopped the bleeding with a crucial steal and breakaway layup, however, giving JMU the lead for good with 57 seconds left as the Dukes hit four of their six free throws in the final minute to put things away.

Freshman Bolden Brace paced Northeastern with 21 points, while Devon Begley and Alex Murphy each added 13, as the Huskies were without the services of T.J. Williams, the league's leading scorer.

QUOTING COACH ROWE
"This was a team win. We needed everyone tonight, including the guys on the sideline and the bench. It wasn't always pretty and we struggled at times, especially in the second half, but these guys really battled and that's a big team win over a good Northeastern team."

PLAY OF THE GAME | COMPLETE VIDEO RECAP

HIGHLIGHT: Satkus rockets a pass to Ivan Lukic for a monster dunk through the lane #GoDukes pic.twitter.com/B429irWlXS
— JMU Men's Basketball (@JMUMBasketball) February 4, 2017

Senior guard Jackson Kent lays in the go-ahead basket after stealing a pass with less than a minute left. The Dukes would sink four free throws in the final minute to seal the win.

UP NEXT
The Dukes hit the road again on Thursday when they head to Wilmington, N.C. for a 7 p.m. bout with first-place UNCW on Thursday, Feb. 9. The Seahawks handed JMU an 87-76 loss in Harrisonburg on Jan. 26.