Men's Basketball Grinds Past Elon for Fifth Straight Win

Tuesday, February 9

Elon, N.C.

6 p.m.

James Madison University

11-5,6-1CAA

Elon

3-7,0-6CAA

James Madison

Elon

Men's Basketball Grinds Past Elon for Fifth Straight Win

2/9/2021 10:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score @JMUMBasketball JMU MBB on Instagram Box Score Highlights 2020-21 MBB Schedule

ELON, N.C. - James Madison overcame a sluggish opening half on Tuesday evening, coming out of the break with new energy on defense and the glass as the Dukes picked up a hard-fought 70-61 road win over Elon in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball action at the Schar Center.

The Dukes (11-5, 6-1 CAA), who entered the game having won four in a row and seven of the last eight, outscored Elon (3-7, 0-6 CAA) by a 43-29 margin in the second half to turn the tide, using a 28-19 advantage on the boards after halftime to back up consistently strong defense.

On the evening, JMU held the Phoenix to just 31.7% (20-of-63) performance from the floor, marking their best defensive effort of the season by that measure. The Dukes also forced 14 turnovers.

Senior guard Matt Lewis battled through double-teams for the second straight game to lead the Dukes on offense, accounting for 22 points and six boards, while adding two assists and a steal. Junior guard Vado Morse added 17 of his own, 14 of which came in the second half as JMU needed a spark.

After Elon took a 32-27 lead into the break after a sloppy opening half, Lewis and Morse got things started after halftime with eight straight points, including a personal 6-0 run from Morse as the pair consistently got into the lane.

The two teams would battle back and forth from there, trading the lead six times in the middle of the second half before JMU used a 9-0 run to take a 58-49 lead with 4:09 to play, an advantage they would not relinquish. The Dukes would hit seven of their 10 free throws in a lengthy final minute to seal the win.

Senior Simon Wright led the Phoenix, going 5-of-7 from three after entering the game 1-of-10 on the season to rack up 17 points while adding seven rebounds.

QUOTING COACH BYINGTON
"I thought that, in the first half, we turned it over a lot but we also settled for contested threes. After halftime, we got to the rim, Matt and Vado set the tone early and we really battled through a tough one tonight. I'm proud of the way we bounced back and now we have to get ready for a really talented Hofstra team coming to our place this weekend."

QUICK HITS
- With the win, the Dukes have started 6-1 in league play for the first time since the 1993-94 campaign, which saw JMU win its first six CAA games before losing two in a row.
- Sophomore forward Julien Wooden led the rebounding charge, grabbing a career-high nine on the evening, including six after halftime.
- Senior Matt Lewis' scoring performance marked his 40th career game with at least 20 points at JMU. He also cleared the 1,900-point barrier, closing the night with 1,903 career points.
- Tuesday marked JMU's first win this season after trailing at halftime - the Dukes are now 1-3 in just four games where that has been the case.
- The Dukes have led by double digits at least once in all five games of their current winning streak and have hit that point eight times in the last nine games.

CAA STANDINGS
1. Northeastern - 8-6 | 7-1 CAA
2. James Madison - 11-5 | 6-1
3. Hofstra - 12-7 | 8-4
4. Charleston - 7-8 | 5-3
5. Delaware - 7-7 | 5-4
6. William & Mary - 6-7 | 4-4
7. Drexel - 8-7 | 3-5
8. Towson - 3-12 | 2-8
9. UNCW - 7-8 | 1-5
10. Elon - 3-7 | 0-6

UP NEXT
The Dukes will return home for a crucial CAA weekend, welcoming third-place Hofstra to Harrisonburg for games on Feb. 13-14, with both contests tipping at 2 p.m. The Pride enter the series at 12-7 (8-4 CAA) after splitting a pair of games against Drexel this past weekend.