TOWSON, Md. - Sophomore guard Troy Franklin converted two free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining as the Tigers (6-17, 3-10) held off a ferocious comeback by James Madison University (10-14, 3-10) to hand the Dukes an 81-78 Colonial Athletic Association loss in the Towson Center on Monday night. The victory came in the Tigers' first home appearance after a rugged three-game road trip.
With their third consecutive loss, the Dukes fell into a four-way tie with Towson for ninth place in the CAA standings. Delaware and UNC Wilmington are also part of the four-way tie.
The Dukes, who trailed by 57-41 with 12:07 left in regulation, gradually chipped away at their deficit.
After the Dukes pulled to within 69-62 with 3:38 remaining, sophomore guard RaShawn Polk nailed a clutch three-point jumper with the shot clock winding down to give Towson a 72-62 advantage with 2:18 remaining.
But the Dukes took advantage of the Tigers' troubles at the free throw line and kept extending the game. With 25 seconds remaining, sophomore Julius Wells kept the Dukes' hopes alive with another three-pointer, making it a 77-72 deficit. After freshman Isaiah Philmore made one of two free throws to give the Tigers a 78-72 edge, senior guard Pierre Curtis connected on a short jumper, was fouled and hit a free throw with 18 seconds remaining to make it a 78-75 contest.
After junior guard Josh Brown made one of two free throws with 15 seconds remaining, the Dukes trailed by just 79-75. With five seconds remaining, a three-point jumper by Darren White pulled the Dukes to within 79-78. The Tigers inbounded immediately and Franklin was fouled.
After Franklin made his two free throws, the Dukes had one last chance to tie the game. However, Polk intercepted a pass by White and the Tigers held on to win.
With the win, the Tigers avenged a 69-66 loss to the Dukes last month and earned their first CAA win at home this season.
The Tigers took a 35-28 lead at halftime as they forced 12 first half turnovers by JMU. After the teams traded the lead three times in the first eight minutes, a driving layup by Ben Louis gave the Dukes a 21-18 lead with 12:05 left in the half. However, Towson turned up the defensive pressure and went on a 12-0 run to take a 30-21 lead with 5:43 left in the half.
A three-pointer by Polk started the run and another three-point basket by Josh Thornton capped the rally. The Tigers extended their lead to 35-25 with 1:44 remaining in the half. A steal and breakaway slam dunk by 6-10 junior Denzel Bowles pulled JMU to within 35-28 at intermission.
Bowles had a very impressive first half as he scored a game-high 14 points, providing JMU with half of its offensive output.
"Even though they did outrebound us in the first half, we forced them into 12 turnovers and we had a ton of deflections," said Towson Coach Pat Kennedy.
While forcing 22 turnovers which led to 23 points, the Tigers utilized a balanced attack which featured five players who scored in double figures. It marked the first time this season that Towson had five players score in double figures.
Junior forward Jarrel Smith led the Tigers with 21 points while Polk scored 13 points, including seven points in the final four minutes. Junior Robert Nwankwo added 11 points while Philmore scored ten points. Brown enjoyed a solid all-around game, scoring ten points on four-for-four shooting. He also led the Tigers' pressure defense with six steals as the Tigers recorded 17 steals in the win.
"This was a very good win for us," said Coach Kennedy. "The kids feel renewed now."
Bowles, a mid-year transfer from Texas A&M, helped JMU dominate the backboards as the Dukes outrebounded Towson, 40-25. Bowles scored a game-high 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the floor. He also grabbed a game high 13 rebounds as he posted his ninth "double double" of the season.
Wells added 18 points for the Dukes.
The game was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, February 6 but it was postponed until Monday evening due to a 24-inch snowstorm in the Baltimore area.
