Dukes Set to Close Regular Season at First-Place Hofstra

Saturday, February 29

Hempstead, N.Y.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

Hofstra

2/28/2020 7:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

James Madison Dukes (9-19, 2-15 CAA) at Hofstra Pride (22-8, 13-4 CAA)

February 29, 2020 -- 4 PM

Hempstead, N.Y. -- Mack Sports & Exhibition Complex

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James Madison is set for its final regular-season game of the 2019-20 season on Saturday afternoon, as it travels to Hempstead, N.Y. for a 4 p.m. matchup against the first-place Hofstra Pride at the Mack Sports & Exhibition Complex.
On Thursday, junior guard Matt Lewis led the way with 17 points and five assists for the Dukes, but Northeastern burst out to an early lead and hit 30 of its 60 shots to hand the Dukes a 77-57 defeat in Boston. The Huskies held JMU to just 18-of-47 (38.3%) shooting on the evening.
Heading into the Dukes' second matchup with Hofstra, junior Matt Lewis leads the way with 18.9 points per game, while junior Darius Banks adds 12.3 points and junior Dwight Wilson is nearly averaging a double-double at 10.1 points and 9.7 boards.
Wilson's rebounding currently ranks third in the league, just shy of being one of just three players averaging double digits, and his 53.5% clip from the field is second in the CAA, while sophomore Deshon Parker is second in assist-turnover ratio at 1.8.
Buoyed by his 40-point explosion the two teams' matchup in Hempstead last season, Lewis enters Saturday averaging 22.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in six career games against Hofstra. He has scored more than 20 points four times in that period.
Heading into the final regular-season weekend, Lewis sits just 15 points outside of JMU's all-time top-four scorers, having scored 1,535 points already, with Ron Curry (2012-16) sitting in fourth at 1,550.

SCOUTING THE PRIDE

Hofstra had won eight consecutive games entering the weekend, but dropped a 76-65 decision to Towson on Thursday evening to fall to 22-8 (13-4 CAA), a mark that still leaves the Pride a full game clear of second place atop the CAA standings.
Senior guard Desure Buie has led the Pride in 2019-20 with a complete performance, averaging 18.3 points, 5.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals per contest entering the final regular-season game of his career.

SERIES HISTORY

Hofstra has won six of the last seven matchups against the Dukes to push its advantage in the all-time series to 20-13, including an 8-7 lead in games played in Hempstead.
Despite the recent stretch, the Dukes have won four of the last five contests on Hofstra's home court, including a 104-99 overtime thriller last season that saw then-sophomore Matt Lewis go off for 40 points, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer to force overtime.
In the meeting earlier this season, Lewis racked up 22 points and six boards, but the Pride erased a six-point halftime deficit to had the Dukes an 82-76 loss back on Dec. 28. Sophomore Deshon Parker added 17 points and eight assists in the loss, while junior Dwight Wilson notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.