Colonial Fans

James Madison 68, Drexel 54

It’s a crowded and contentious middle section in the Colonial Athletic Association. Teams aren’t fighting for NCAA berths, but they are jockeying for potential NIT leverage. They’re not in a position to snag at-large NCAA tickets, but they are trying to sharpen themselves for the CAA Tournament and a run at an automatic bid.

In that case, give a nod to the James Madison Dukes, who put up their dukes in a city that demands a considerable amount of street toughness. JMU fought off a sluggish early start and powered its way past Drexel to announce its presence as a team that Virginia Commonwealth or George Mason will want to avoid in the semifinals of the CAA Tournament.

What made this marvelous James Madison moment so meaningful is the fact that the Dukes were pancake-flat at the start but then picked themselves off the canvas.

Looking to avenge an earlier loss to James Madison, the Drexel Dragons jumped out to an early 9-0 lead at home at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia. The lead eventually ballooned out to 25-9 with under nine minutes left in the first half. At that point, something clicked for the Dukes. Whether it was something head coach Matt Brady said or the realization they were losing to a team they’d beat just two weeks ago, the Dukes awoke with a start.

The Dukes went on a 20-7 run to finish the first half down by just three, at 32-29. With 16:43 left in the game, the Dukes snagged their first lead of the game on a Denzel Bowles jumper that put them up 38-36. That basket gave Bowles two of his game-high 23 points, a stat he complemented with 14 rebounds in a manly effort. After a couple of minutes of trading points, the Dukes went up by five (49-44) with 10:44 left in the game, and didn’t look back after that in picking up the win.

Along with Bowles, Anthony Hitchens had 14 points and Devon Moore 12 to help the Dukes sweep the season series. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and moved James Madison into fifth place in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dukes shot 46 percent in the win, allowing them to overcome the 11 offensive rebounds they surrendered to the Dragons.

Drexel coach Bruiser Flint stuck with a seven-man rotation, and that ended up backfiring for him. Samme Givens had 22 points and 11 boards, while Dartaye Ruffin pitched in 10 points. However, leading scorer Chris Fouch was held to 2 points on 1-of-13 shooting, which set the tone for the night; the Dragons shot just 37 percent from the field and a miserable 8 percent (1-of-12) from three-point range in the loss. With the loss, the Dragons fell into a tie with the Dukes, and they must bear the added misfortune of having been swept by the Dukes this season.

Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer