Lewis' Three-Pointer Lifts JMU Past Towson, 74-73, In Opener
Rob Washburn
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NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (March 9, 2019) – Sophomore guard Matt Lewis knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key with 2.7 seconds remaining to lift 8
th-seeded James Madison past #9 Towson, 74-73, in the opening game of the 2019 CAA Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by Jersey Mike’s Subs.
The Dukes (14-18) advance to play top-seeded Hofstra at Noon on Sunday in the quarterfinals. Towson dropped to 10-22 with the loss.
Lewis hit three treys and poured in 26 points for JMU. He shared game-high scoring honors with sophomore forward Dwight Wilson, who set a career-high with his 26 points on 10-of-15 FG shooting and added a team-best seven rebounds.
Towson was led by junior guard Brian Fobbs, who scored 12 of his team-high 18 points in the second half. Tobias Howard and Allen Betrand each added 10 points, while Dennis Tunstall contributed seven points and a team-best 10 rebounds.
Towson took 73-69 lead with 58 seconds to go on a Dennis Tunstall free throw, but Wilson cut the margin in half on a layup with 45 seconds left and JMU’s defense forced a stop. The Dukes moved the ball around until finding Lewis at the top of the key for the game-winning bucket. Towson had a final shot from just past half court that went off the backboard.
In a first half that featured eight ties, JMU took a narrow 34-31 advantage into intermission. The contest was tied at 53-53 with 10:27 left when Towson went on a 12-1 run and took its largest lead of the game, 65-54, on a Howard three-pointer with 7:36 to play.
JMU answered with seven consecutive points to close within four, but never regained the lead until the game-winner by Lewis.
Both teams shot the ball well, with Towson hitting 57.1% of its shots from the floor and JMU making 50%, including 7-of-16 from 3-point range. The Tigers were hurt by 17 turnovers.