HARRISONBURG, Va. – The best scoring days in a Towson University uniform for each Jason Gibson and Cam Allen were not enough as the men's basketball team fell in a mid-week road battle at James Madison 78-63.
 
In its third road game in five days, Towson won the second half against the Dukes in its first-ever game in the Atlantic Union Bank Center but could not recover from its first half deficit.
 
Records:

• Towson: 3-8, 2-4 CAA
• James Madison: 8-5, 3-1 CAA

Key Stats:

• Jason Gibson notched a career-high 23 points, going 6-for-11 from the field and 8-for-8 on the free throw line.  Charles Thompson came up just short of a double double off nine points and 11 rebounds.  Each Cam Allen and Jakigh Dottin earned seven points off the bench with the latter adding three assists and two steals.
• Towson, which began the game up 13-2, had several sparks on second chance opportunities with 17 points.
• Towson stayed close in the rebounding margin with JMU narrowly being ahead 40-37.
• For JMU, Matt Lewis had 23 points, going 5-for-9 from three-point range, while Vado Morse finished with 19 points and two assists.

How it Happened:

• After JMU scored on its opening possession, Towson used aggressive offense to attack the paint over and over again.  Jason Gibson found Charles Thompson for a layup, then hit a jumper himself.  After a tough jumper from Thompson, Gibson drove into the lane and hit a layup falling while fouled, adding a free throw.  Jakigh Dottin picked up a loose ball offensive rebound and scored, then Thompson hit another layup to complete a 13-0 run and give Towson the lead 13-2 four-and-a-half minutes in.
• JMU countered with primarily Matt Lewis and Vado Morse, getting a 17-0 run in the next five minutes to lead 19-13.
• Each side went into an offensive lull for the next few minutes, with Nicolas Timberlake hitting a tough layup and one to make it 22-17 JMU, 7:57 in the first.
• JMU built on its lead with driving layups and free throws, leading by 18 in the final minute of the half.  Gibson hit a corner three to reach double digit scoring, but a Morse three in the final seconds gave JMU a 43-25 advantage at the break.
• The teams went back-and-forth to begin the second half, with each side exchanging primarily free throws.  With 12:48 remaining, Cam Allen hit a top-of-the-arc three to pull Towson within 14 at 55-41.
• JMU got the lead back to 21 off seven straight points from Lewis.  Towson's guards tried to force pressure with Dottin and Gibson combining for five points in a row and make it 64-48 JMU with under 10 minutes to play.
• At 76-57 JMU, Towson had one final push left, getting a 6-0 run, capped by four points from Allen, to get within 13, but the Tigers could not get closer.  JMU took the victory 78-63.

Inside the Numbers:

• Jason Gibson's previous career-high was 21 points against William & Mary on Jan. 25, 2020.  His 23 points tonight was the fourth-most for a Towson player this season.
• Charles Thompson matched his season-high of 11 rebounds, achieved back on Dec. 26 vs. Coppin State. His 11 rebounds led all players in the game.
• Tonight's game was the first-ever contest between two CAA opponents in the Atlantic Bank Union Center in Harrisonburg.

Next Game:
Towson returns home for a weekend series against William & Mary.  First game is set for Saturday, Jan. 30 at 1 p.m.
 
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