Kent, Dukes Stifle Towson for Third Straight Win

Monday, January 2

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

4-11, 2-0CAA

Towson

8-7, 0-2CAA

Towson

James Madison

1/2/2017 9:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison turned in its best defensive effort in almost two years and senior guard Jackson Kent continued his scoring surge on Monday evening, as the Dukes rolled to a 64-44 win over Towson in Colonial Athletic Association action at the JMU Convocation Center.

The Dukes won their third game in a row to improve to 4-11 overall and 2-0 in Colonial Athletic Association play. The Tigers fell to 8-7 and 0-2 in the CAA.

JMU put together a stellar defensive evening, holding Towson to 32.0 percent (16-of-50) from the floor and 16.7 percent (4-of-24) from beyond the arc. The 44 points by the Tigers marked the lowest point total of the season for a JMU opponent, and the lowest since Jan. 15, 2015, when the Dukes beat Drexel, 54-35.

Kent, who scored 30 points in Saturday's win over Drexel led all scorers with 23 points, going 6-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while adding five rebounds, three assists and a steal. Senior forward Shakir Brown joined Kent in double figures with 11 points.

The Dukes took control early, storming out to a 24-7 lead at the 8:58 mark and stifling Towson throughout the first half, holding the Tigers scoreless for a period of 7:03 and battling through shooting woes of their own to take a 29-18 lead into halftime.

After the break, Towson would get as close as nine (32-23; 18:42) before the Dukes ripped off an 11-0 run to take a 43-23 lead with 13:09 to play. The Tigers would not get closer than 18 the rest of the way, with JMU pushing its lead to as much as 28 with 3:00 to play.

JMU asserted itself down low, outscoring Towson 26-14 in the paint. The Dukes also scored 13 points off 14 Towson turnovers, compared to the Tigers' five points off 11 JMU giveaways.

Justin Gorham paced Towson with eight points and seven rebounds, while William Adala Moto grabbed a game-high 10 boards to go with his seven points.

QUOTING COACH ROWE
"I just want to continue to talk about the effort these guys are putting in, and it's a collective effort. They're so focused and that kind of thing is contagious. I love the energy of these guys and I want them to keep it rolling and keep moving forward."

BEATING THEM AT THEIR OWN GAME
Towson entered Monday's matchup among the nation's best teams in the post, averaging a staggering 34.9 points per game in the paint, but the Dukes controlled the area around the rim throughout, besting the Tigers by a 26-14 margin.

PHOTO OF THE GAME | COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY
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The JMU Pep Band plays while the Dukes break it down after their 64-44 win over Towson on Monday night, tying JMU atop the CAA at 2-0 with its third win in a row.

REVERSING THE TRENDS
The Dukes flipped the script on both ends of the floor against the Tigers, who came into Monday shooting 44.6 percent from the floor while yielding just a 39.8 percent clip to opponents. JMU held the normally-accurate Tigers to 32-percent shooting from the floor, while hitting on 42.2 percent of its own shots, including a blistering 52.4-percent pace after halftime.

CAA STANDINGS
1. UNCW (2-0, 13-2)
2. College of Charleston (2-0, 11-4)
3. Northeastern (2-0, 9-5)
4. JMU (2-0, 4-11)
5. Hofstra (1-1, 9-6)
6. William & Mary (1-1, 7-6)
7. Elon (0-2, 8-7)
8. Towson (0-2, 8-7)
9. Delaware (0-2, 7-8)
10. Drexel (0-2, 6-9)

UP NEXT
The Dukes hit the road for a pair of CAA games this weekend, playing at Hofstra on Thursday at 7 p.m. and at Northeastern on Saturday at 7 p.m. Hofstra dropped an overtime heartbreaker to William & Mary to fall to 9-6 (1-1 CAA), while the Huskies improved to 9-5 (2-0 CAA) with an overtime win of their own over Drexel.