GWU Drops 78-57 Decision To James Madison At Home Thursday
December 18, 2009 | Men's Basketball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - James Madison center Denzel Bowles
scored a career-high 37 points and pulled down 15 rebounds, leading
an inside charge that powered a 78-57 win over Gardner-Webb at Paul
Porter Arena.
James Madison (5-4) scored 56 of its points in the paint, and
made just three shots outside the lane for the game - a pair of
three-point baskets and a 16-foot baseline jumper in the second
half. Forward Darren White added 22 points and eight boards for the
Dukes.
Gardner-Webb (3-6) lost its sixth game in a row, marking the
longest losing streak of the program's Division I era (since
2000-2001). The Runnin' Bulldogs held a 25-15 lead with just over
12 minutes left in the first half, but missed 18 consecutive shots
to close the half - allowing James Madison to go on a 16-4 run that
gave the Duke's a 31-29 lead at intermission.
Bowles had 20 points and eight caroms at the break, getting
inside for a variety of layups, short hooks and dunks against the
smaller GWU front line.
Gardner-Webb remained cold in the second half, shooting just
39.3 percent (11-of-28, 1-of-8 from 3), and James Madison continued
to pound the basketball inside effectively. After Gardner-Webb tied
the score at 31 to start the half, Bowles scored the next four
points to regain control.
The Dukes steadily pulled away from that point, with Bowles'
three-point play at the 9:39 mark putting James Madison in front
56-46. Gardner-Webb would get no closer than nine points the rest
of the way.
James Madison shot a sound 52.5 percent for the game
(31-of-59), made 14-of-19 free throws and held a sturdy 49-23 edge
on the glass. The Dukes scored 18 second-chance points, held a 14-4
edge on the fast break and overcame a cool shooting night from
outside the arc.
Bowles, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Texas A&M, hit 17-of-25
shots and had eight of his 15 boards on the offensive end. He also
dished off three assists and blocked two shots in an impressive 32
minutes. White was 7-of-12 from the floor with three dunks in 38
minutes.
Leading scorer Julius Wells was hampered by foul trouble and
finished with just three points. Louis and Pierre Curtis each had
five for the Dukes.
Gardner-Webb shots just 33.3 percent for the game (20-of-60)
and only 4-of-15 from three-point range (26.7 percent). C.J. Hailey
paced the scoring with 19 points, Auryn MacMillan had 10 and
Jonathan Moore came off the bench to add nine for the Runnin'
Bulldogs.
Things don't get any easier for Gardner-Webb. The team will
travel to Penn State for a Saturday matchup, taking on the Nittany
Lions at 9:00 pm on December 19. ESPNU will televise that contest.
GWU will then break for Christmas before traveling to face
2nd-ranked Texas on December 29 in Austin.
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