Dukes Earn 64-61 Win Over FIU in Home Opener

Friday, November 20

Harrisonburg, Va.

3:30 p.m.

James Madison University

2-1

FIU

2-1

FIU

James Madison

11/20/2015 6:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison racked up 35 bench points on Friday afternoon and held on to earn a 64-61 victory over FIU in the Dukes' 2015-16 men's basketball home opener at the JMU Convocation Center.

The Dukes moved to 2-1 on the year despite shooting 36.8-percent (21-for-57) from the floor, including an 8-for-26 clip from beyond the arc and 56-percent (14-25) from the free throw line. The Panthers, who fall to 2-1, shot 44-percent (22-for-50) on the day but struggled from the line, making only nine of 19 free throw attempts.

Trailing by a point with 16:07 remaining, junior forward Tom Vodanovich sank a driving layup to give the Dukes a 35-34 lead and erase the Panthers' final advantage of the game. The two teams would tie on three more occasions, but late jumpers from senior guard Ron Curry and junior guard Shakir Brown held off a furious FIU charge before the Panthers' half-court prayer went wide to seal the contest.

Vodanovich continued his efficient play early in the season, tallying 10 points and making four of his seven shots on the day to bring his season shooting percentage to 70.6-percent (12-for-17). He also added six boards, two assists and a steal to fill the stat sheet.

Senior guard Ron Curry gritted out a team-leading 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting and distributed eight assists. Friday marks the second time in the season's first three games that Curry has reached the eight-assist mark after accomplishing the feat in the season-opener at Richmond.

Junior guard Shakir Brown recorded his second double-double in his first three games for the Dukes, going for 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting and 10 rebounds.

QUOTING COACH BRADY
"I thought there were a lot of things we didn't do as well that we did in our first couple games, but I'm happy with the win. I don't feel badly that we won a game where we didn't play terribly well. I give FIU a lot of credit."

TWEET OF THE GAME

Great start to the weekend @JMUMBasketball!
— Trill6Mafia (@JTPartlow21) November 20, 2015

HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
After struggling to find their jumpshot in the opening period, the Dukes settled down and hit 11 of their 23 field goals after the break. JMU took fewer three-pointers, making three of its eight shots from long range after taking 18 three-pointers in the first half, and found better looks off the dribble en route to its 47.8-percent clip in the final 20 minutes.

PLAY OF THE GAME - COMPLETE HIGHLIGHTS

Junior forward Yohanny Dalembert threw down a dunk on a fast-break that gave the Dukes a 39-37 lead with 13 minutes to play.

DEEP BENCH
The Dukes showed off their depth on Friday evening, as 10 of JMU's 11 players scored at least two points and six tallied at least six. JMU's bench led the way with 35 of the Dukes' 64 points, while FIU notched just three points from its substitutes, all coming on a three-pointer from Ray Rodriguez with 2:14 left in the game.

PHOTO OF THE GAME - COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY
73975

Senior guard Ron Curry watches his teardrop jumper fall through the hoop, beating the halftime buzzer and giving the Dukes a 29-28 lead heading into the locker room.

AROUND THE CAA
Combined with Hofstra's win over Florida State and Northeastern's victory over Florida Atlantic, the Dukes' victory improved the Colonial Athletic Association's record to 19-8 in non-conference play. Five CAA teams have yet to suffer a loss, while another three have just one defeat thus far.

UP NEXT
JMU is back in action on Saturday afternoon in the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic, when it faces Oral Roberts in a 5 p.m. clash at the JMU Convocation Center. The Golden Eagles handed UT Martin a 70-66 loss in Friday's early game.