Dukes Tame Dragons in Back-and-Forth Battle

Saturday, January 20

Harrisonburg, Va.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

6-15, 2-6CAA

Drexel

7-14, 1-7CAA

Drexel

James Madison

1/20/2018 7:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison racked up 42 points in the paint on Saturday evening, holding off Drexel late as the Dukes picked up a 75-73 Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball win, their second in a row, at the Convocation Center.

The Dukes (6-15, 2-6 CAA) battled through 20 lead changes and 17 ties, with neither team ever leading by more than five, as JMU held the Dragons (7-14, 1-7 CAA) to 37.5 percent (12-of-32) shooting in the second half, while hitting 13 of their 26 (50 percent) second-half shots.

Freshman Matt Lewis led the JMU offense on the evening, driving the lane throughout the contest on his way to 20 points that included an 11-of-13 performance at the free throw line. Fellow freshman Darius Banks stuffed the stat sheet for the second straight game, battling through foul trouble to rack up 10 points, six boards, five assists and a pair of blocks across just 27 minutes.

Juniors Stuckey Mosley and Develle Phillips joined the pair in double figures, with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Drexel guard Tramaine Isabell posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Dragons.

Drexel led by two with just 1:51 left, but the Dukes responded immediately, as Phillips got a strong layup to go through contact to tie things at 71-71. After the Dukes got a pair of stops, Lewis drove in from the right wing to lay in the go-ahead basket with 26 seconds to play.

On the next possession, senior Ramone Snowden and Banks each came up with blocks to give Lewis two more late free throws that sealed the contest, but not before Drexel hit a jumper and saw a desperation heave hit the back iron to close out the JMU victory.

QUOTING COACH ROWE
"This was the kind of game I expect: really hard-fought. We knew this was going to be a tough one, especially after Thursday. We just had to figure out a way to win and get just enough stops and I'm proud of them for that."

QUICK HITS
- Freshman Dwight Wilson came up huge on the glass for JMU, pulling down a career-high nine rebounds, including six offensive boards in the first half.
- Fellow freshman Greg Jones provided crucial depth on the evening, playing a career-high 29 minutes on his way to four points, five boards and a block.
- Head Coach Louis Rowe is now 4-0 against Drexel since returning to James Madison.
- The Dukes' win marks their ninth in a row against the Dragons, cutting Drexel's lead in the all-time series to 18-14.

UP NEXT
The Dukes hit the road next week for a three-game road trip, starting with their southern swing for matchups at UNCW (Jan. 25; 7 p.m.) and College of Charleston (Jan. 27; 3 p.m.). The Seahawks sit at 5-14 (2-5 CAA) heading into a Saturday night matchup against Towson.