Dukes Travel for In-State Battle

From JMUsports.com....

James Madison (5-1) will start a five-game run of road contests on Wednesday, December 1 at 7 p.m. taking on the Longwood Lancers (3-4) in Willett Hall in Farmville, Va.

The game will mark the sixth time the two teams have played since their first meeting in the 2004-05 season.  JMU leads the all-time series 3-2 with each team winning every game on its home court.  The Dukes have not won in Farmville. 

The game also represents the first live televised sporting event in Longwood's history.  Fox College Sports (FCS) Atlantic (available DirecTV 617/623 and various other cable providers, including Harrisonburg Comcast channel 262) will air the game live at 7 p.m. MASN will re-air the game immediately afterwards at 9 p.m.

The Dukes are in the midst of a five-game winning streak after playing five games in eight days.  Following a three day rest, JMU will look to make it six in a row for the first time since a seven-game streak in the 1993-94 season, which was the last time the Dukes won the CAA and went to the NCAA Tournament.

JMU senior forward Denzel Bowles had a productive and impressive week.  Bowles led the Dukes to a 4-0 week, recording three double-doubles, earning MVP honors in the Harrisonburg Subregional of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, and setting a JMU record for free-throw percentage.  He averaged 18.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game as JMU earned wins over Princeton, Presbyterian, Bucknell, and Eastern Michigan.  In last Saturday's game versus Eastern Michigan, Bowles went a perfect 13-13 from the line setting a new JMU record for free-throw percentage in a game, which was also a new Convocation Center record.  Bowles' performance also earned him CAA Co-Player of the Week honors.

The Lancers are coming off a Monday night loss to Fairleigh Dickinson.  The Lancers dropped their first home game of the season after starting 3-0 at home with wins over UVA-Wise, Columbia, and Montreat.  The Lancers and Dukes have each suffered a loss this season against an AP Top 25 opponent.  JMU lost its season opener at No. 3 Kansas State, while Longwood also lost its season opener to No. 4 Kansas.

Longwood is shooting 47.2% from the field this season and is averaging 20.0 assists per game.  The Lancers are led by junior center Antwan Carter, who is averaging a double-double so far with 15.6 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.  Senior guard Aaron Mitchell is also pitching in with 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.  Leading the team in assists with 5.0 per game is junior guard Jeremiah Bowman, who has also tallied 11.7 points per game and nine steals on the season.

JMU is led this season by the frontcourt duo of Denzel Bowles and Rayshawn Goins.  Bowles is averaging 17.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game and is shooting a team best 67.9% from the field, which also ranks ninth nationally.  Junior forward Goins leads the team in rebounding with 8.0 per game and also averages 16.2 points per game. He was also named to the CBE Subregional All-Tournament Team.

The Dukes' backcourt is led by redshirt sophomore Devon Moore, who is averaging 12.5 points and 3.5 assists on the season.  Junior guard Humpty Hitchens has tallied 8.5 points per game this season and a team high seven steals throughout six games. 

Following the Longwood game the Dukes will travel to Atlanta, Ga. to take on the Georgia State Panthers in the GSU Sports Arena on Saturday, December 4 at 2 p.m.  The game will open CAA conference play for both teams and will be the only league game until Jan. 3.

-MO