Second Half Surge Gives Dukes 63-57 Win Over Western Michigan

Thursday, December 3

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

6-3

Western Michigan

3-5

Western Michigan

James Madison

Second Half Surge Gives Dukes 63-57 Win Over Western Michigan

12/3/2015 9:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Senior guard Ron Curry racked up a game-high 21 points and seven rebounds on Thursday night to lead James Madison to a hard-fought 63-57 win over Western Michigan in non-conference men's basketball action at the JMU Convocation Center.

The victory, JMU's fourth in a row, moves the Dukes to 6-3 on the season, while Western Michigan falls to 3-5.

Madison, which entered halftime trailing by two points, came up with its best defensive effort of the season, holding the Broncos to 57 points on just 33.3-percent (20-for-60) shooting from the field on the evening, including a 28.1-percent (9-for-32) performance after the break.

After three ties in the opening minutes of the second half, junior guard Shakir Brown drilled a transition three-pointer from the left corner to give the Dukes a 36-33 lead that they would not relinquish. JMU used that shot to start an 11-2 run that opened up a nine-point lead with 10:25 to play. After the Dukes pushed the lead to 11 points on a jumper from Curry at the 5:15 mark, the Broncos would not get closer than four the rest of the way.

Curry's 21 points tied his season high and marked the 13th 20-point performance of his career. The senior now has 1,137 career points, moving him past Jamar Perry (1996-2000) and into a tie for 21st all-time at JMU with Dwayne Broyles (2000-04). Curry's seven rebounds also constitute a season best.

Junior guard Jackson Kent notched his second consecutive double-digit effort with a 12-point evening on 4-for-6 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, while junior forward Tom Vodanovich chipped in 11 points and four rebounds after a 6-for-8 performance from the free throw line.

Western Michigan guard Thomas Wilder led the opposition with team highs in points (18), assists (6) and steals (1).

QUOTING COACH BRADY - COMPLETE PRESS CONFERENCE - PLAYERS PRESS CONFERENCE
"I think we beat a really good and talented Western Michigan team. They're highly efficient on offense and really big at every position. I think we played really well and really hard, defensively and to hold that team under 30-percent from the field in the second half was exactly what we were looking to do tonight."

TWEET OF THE GAME

S/o to the students for the support its nice having y'all closer to the court !! Time to get ready for Sunday #GoDukes #jmunation ??????
— curry. (@rcurry_2) December 4, 2015

HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
After shooting just 30.3-percent (10-for-33) from the field in the first half, the Dukes used improved shot selection and ball movement to hit at a 43.5-percent (10-for-23) clip on field goals after halftime. Thursday marked the eighth time in nine games that Madison has improved its field-goal percentage after halftime, with the only step down coming in the Dukes' 106-74 win over Eastern Mennonite, when JMU slipped from 67.7-percent (21-for-31) to 63.0-percent (17-for-27) after the break.

PLAY OF THE GAME - COMPLETE HIGHLIGHTS

Junior guard Shakir Brown drilled this three-pointer from the left corner in transition to break a 33-33 tie and give JMU a lead it would not relinquish. The bucket also kicked off an 11-2 run that would eventually give the Dukes a 44-35 lead with 10:25 to play.

BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
Thursday night marked the first time this season that JMU was evenly matched in the rebounding battle, as each team pulled down 39 rebounds on the evening. Thus far in 2015-16, the Dukes have not lost a game in which they do not lose the rebounding battle. In addition to tonight's performance, Madison has out-rebounded its opposition five times, with all five efforts resulting in victories.

PHOTO OF THE GAME - COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY
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Head Coach Matt Brady shows his appreciation to the boisterous fans in the new, lower-level student section after the Dukes' 63-57 win. Thursday night marked the first game in which current students had exclusive access to sections 104 and 105 on the floor level.

AROUND THE CAA
Delaware picked up a victory in the Colonial Athletic Association's only other game, as the Blue Hens handed USF a 67-58 loss in Newark. With the two wins on the evening, CAA teams have won 11 consecutive contests, dating back to Sunday, Nov. 29. The CAA is also 14-3 over its last 17 games.

UP NEXT
The Dukes welcome their first repeat opponent to the Convocation Center on Sunday, Dec. 6, when Marshall makes the trip to Harrisonburg for a 2 p.m. contest. JMU faced the Thundering Herd less than a week ago, when it captured an 89-75 win in Huntington on Friday, Nov. 27. Junior guard Shakir Brown and junior forward Yohanny Dalembert each had double-doubles in that victory.