City of Basketball Love

Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21)
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The Drexel Dragons closed out the 2016 calendar year in disappointing fashion, falling to the CAA’s cellar-dwellar, James Madison, in their league opener by a final score of 78-67 in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

At First…
Despite a strong start by the Dukes, Drexel was able to have things tied at nine after the first four minutes of play. It was at that point that things began going in the direction of the home team, as James Madison spent the next 11 minutes building up a double-digit lead, as a Tom Vodanovich layup made it 29-18 with 4:15 to play.

The Dragons, however, finished the half well, closing on a 10-4 run capped by a Kurk Lee bucket that let Drexel enter the half down 33-28.

Turning Point…
The visiting Dragons quickly found their way back to within a possession on a three-pointer by Sammy Mojica in the first three minutes of the second half, but JMU responded by reopening a double-digit advantage, 48-38, within the five minutes that followed. By the 11-minute mark, the lead had been cut back down to four, but before the Dragons knew it, their deficit was back to double digits with just under six minutes to play on a Shakir Brown three-point play.

Under a minute later, a layup by Jackson Kent gave James Madison its biggest lead of the game to that point, as the struggling Dukes officially put Drexel away to open up league play with a much-needed home win.

Standout Stars…
Redshirt junior and Wake Forest transfer guard Miles Overton had another strong performance in the loss, dropping a team-high 14 points on 3-of-8 three-point shooting while also contributing four assists. Mojica also had a solid shooting effort, going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and tallying 13 points.

As for the victorious Dukes, Kent was by far and a way the game’s top scorer with 30 points. He shot 12-of-17 from the field and 4-of-6 from three while also adding four boards and a couple of steals.

Noteworthy Numbers…
56: James Madison had a very efficient shooting day, going 56 percent from the field while only shooting 5-of-16 from outside.

46: If their shooting efforts weren’t enough, the Dukes also dominated the inside, outscoring Drexel in the paint by a tally of 46-20.

22: The home team made their opponents pay for their mistakes, capitalizing off of 21 Drexel turnovers for 22 points.

Up Next…
Drexel (6-8) vs. Northeastern – Mon., Jan. 2 @ 4:30 p.m.
James Madison (3-11) vs. Towson – Mon., Jan. 2 @ 7:00 p.m.