Lewis, Dukes Shoot Past Towson in CAA Opener

Saturday, January 16

Towson, Md.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

6-4,1-0CAA

Towson

1-5,0-1CAA

James Madison

Towson

1/16/2021 6:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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TOWSON, Md. - Senior guard Matt Lewis helmed a long-range shooting barrage on Saturday afternoon, leading James Madison to an 81-72 win over Towson at SECU Arena in both programs' Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball opener.

Lewis tied a JMU school record with nine three-pointers to lead the way for the Dukes (6-4, 1-0 CAA) with 30 points, as JMU lit up the Tigers (1-5, 0-1 CAA) for a total of 15 made three-pointers, just one shy of the team record for a single game.

All told, the Dukes hit 46.9% (15-of-32) of their shots from behind the arc, minimizing a Towson size advantage that saw the Tigers out-rebound JMU by a 41-32 margin.

Lewis continued his emphatic run of strong play, notching season highs in both points and assists with 30 and eight, respectively, while going an astonishing 9-of-12 from range. In his last two games, the senior guard is 15-of-20 from behind the arc, a 75% clip that has raised his season three-point percentage to 42.3%.

Freshman forward Justin Amadi asserted himself well in a physical game, notching his second collegiate double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Junior guard Vado Morse racked up 18 points in his first start since returning from injury, adding a clutch 8-for-8 free throw performance in the closing minutes to seal the win, while junior guard Jalen Hodge chipped in 10 points of his own in just 12 minutes.

Towson jumped out to a 13-6 lead in the first five minutes before the Dukes scored seven straight to knot things up, opening a back-and-forth stretch until the Tigers took a 27-26 lead with 6:33 left in the half. At that point, the Dukes ripped off 12 straight points to go up 38-27 and the lead would not dip below seven for the remainder of the contest.

Despite the advantage, Towson would keep the Dukes within range, never falling behind by more than 12, but unable to stop the three-point barrage as JMU answered every short run from the Tigers. As time ran short, Morse and Hodge hit all 10 of their free throws in the final 90 seconds to seal the victory.

Demetrius Mims led the way on offense for Towson, tallying 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting on the afternoon.

QUOTING COACH BYINGTON
"This was a good start to league play. I was really proud of the guys - they showed growth today. A lot of guys played well - obviously, Matt Lewis was terrific. The three-pointers were spectacular, but I think the way he set the game up with eight assists was the difference in the win. But everyone played tough, and if you don't play tough against Towson, you're going to lose the game."

QUICK HITS
- Lewis' performance marked the fifth time in program history that a JMU player had hit nine three-pointers in a single game:

Darren McLinton vs. VCU, 2/17/96
Kyle Swanston at Liberty, 3/23/09
Julius Wells vs. Northeastern, 1/3/11
Stuckey Mosley at Hofstra, 1/5/18

- Saturday afternoon's starting lineup was the sixth different lineup the Dukes have used in the opening 10 games.
- Lewis' eight assists gave him 317 in his career, moving him up a spot and into ninth on JMU's all-time assists leaderboard. He sits 21 assists behind Derek Steele (1980-84) in eighth at 338.
- Lewis has now hit at least one three-pointer in 47 straight games dating back to his sophomore season, giving him the longest active streak in Division I, just 12 games away from cracking the all-time NCAA Division I top 10.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will continue their CAA slate on the road next weekend, traveling north to Boston for a pair of games at Northeastern on Jan. 23-24, with both tips scheduled for noon. The Huskies are currently atop the league standings, having opened their CAA schedule with five straight wins that have them at 6-5 (5-0 CAA) entering a Sunday afternoon matchup at College of Charleston.