| Game 10: Charleston Southern (4-5) vs. James Madison (5-4) |
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Charleston Southern men's basketball hits the road once again after a single home win over MEAC favorite North Carolina Central in a 40-minutes battle from the Buc Dome Saturday evening.
The Bucs and Dukes of James Madison rekindle an old series from the mid-1970s and 80s that saw eight matchups over a span of five seasons then one final meeting in the 1985-86 campaign. Monday marks the seventh all-time meeting in Harrisonburg while the two teams have met three times in Charleston.
JMU last played Dec. 4 at Radford and enters Monday's contest after a 12-day layoff. The Dukes are a volume-shooting team, and aren't afraid to let it fly from downtown. They rank among the top-25 in the nation in three point attempts as well as rebounds, free throw attempts and three point field goals made.
Meanwhile, Charleston Southern enters the matchup on a three-game win streak highlighted by a win over Missouri of the SEC.
For Openers
- Charleston Southern hits the road once again after a quick stay at home in their one contest versus North Carolina Central, defeating the Eagles 58-53 from the Buc Dome. Dontrell Shuler had a 22-point effort in the win to lead all scorers including the game-winning bucket with just :48 left on the clock.
- Of their 12 nonconference matchups, eight happen away from the friendly confines of the Buc Dome including Monday's trip to the Old Dominion to face James Madison as well as Saturday's contest at Eastern Kentucky in the Bluegrass State.
- CSU's tradition of postgame milkshakes for road wins was extra sweet their last time away from home as they downed Missouri of the SEC 68-60 thanks to four players in double figures and 17 second-half points from Duncan LeXander.
- CSU and JMU play for the first time since the 1985-86 season that ended a nine-game series between 1977 and 1985 with six matchups in Harrisonburg and three in Charleston. Three times the Bucs and Dukes played an in-season home-and-home matchup as JMU has an 8-1 lead in the series.
Scouting The Dukes
- Three players average double figures for James Madison paced by Matt Lewis' 18.3 points a contest. Darius Banks adds 13.2 and Dwight Wilson scores 11.0 a game as the Dukes sit third in the CAA in scoring at 76.1 points a contest behind only Hofstra and Delaware.
- James Madison is the best shot-blocking and rebounding team in the CAA pulling down 43.4 boards and swatting 4.9 shots a night.
- The Dukes shoot a lot from deep as they average 9.7 treys a contest, good for No. 27 in the nation. They also sit 11th in three point attempts with 265 already through nine games.
- JMU also ranks among the top-100 in blocks (4.9, 46th), total blocks (44, 31st), rebounds (12th), free throw attempts (16th), three-point field goals made (18th) and lead the nation in defensive rebounds a game (33.6).
A Win on Monday Would…
- Be the second all-time against James Madison and first in Harrisonburg
- Snap a five-game skid to the Dukes, who took the final handful of meetings in the early 1980s.
- Be the third-straight win away from the Buc Dome
- Give the Bucs a win over a Power 5 team and CAA foe in consecutive road matchups
- Be the first road win over a current CAA member since defeating Delaware 95-93 on Nov. 10, 2013 as part of a 2-0 start to the season.
- Move CSU to a perfect 2-0 on the road in December
Spark Off the Bench
- Redshirt-freshman point guard Travis Anderson and junior forward Ty Jones have provided key sparks off the bench this season accounting for the third and fourth-highest scoring marks for the Bucs.
- Anderson is averaging 7.1 points per contest after his career-high 15 at Missouri Tuesday night good for 5th in the Big South. Jones is averaging 6.9 points per night sitting 6th in the league.
- Anderson's 15 off the bench Tuesday night keyed the Bucs to a win while Jones poured-in 10 of his own in the upset effort.
