The Seahawks will have to regroup after Saturday’s 19 point loss.  They will return home to Trask Coliseum on Wednesday night when they host Towson.

ARRISONBURG, Va. – The streak is over.

            James Madison shot 60 percent from the field in the first half and used a balanced scoring attack to roll past UNC Wilmington, 93-74, Saturday night, ending a 14-game losing streak and seven-year drought against the Seahawks in Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball action at the JMU Convocation Center.

            The Dukes halted a two-game skid to hike their record to 10-5 overall and 3-2 in the CAA. The Seahawks dropped their fourth game in five outings to fall to 9-8 and 2-3.

            Junior guard Abdulai Jalloh anchored four JMU players in double figures with 22 points on 6-for-11 from the floor and 8-for-12 at the free throw line. He also had seven rebounds and a pair of assists in 37 minutes.

            Junior forward Juwann James and junior point guard Pierre Curtis added 18 points apiece and senior guard Terrance Carter had 17 for the Dukes, who wound up shooting 57.9 percent from the field.

            Senior guard Daniel Fountain was high man for the Seahawks with 14 points, but went just 4-for-17 from the floor. Senior center Vladimir Kuljanin posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds and senior guard T.J. Carter, sophomore guard Josh Sheets and freshman forward Dominique Lacy each contributed 10 points.

            After building a comfortable margin with solid shooting in the first half, the Dukes maintained their double digit cushion the rest of the way, pushing the lead to as many as 24 points before the final outcome.

            JMU’s advantage swelled to 15 points, 50-35, at 18:20 on a offensive rebound and bucket by James and then ballooned to 92-68 with 1:42 left on a layup by James.

            UNCW could get no closer than 18 points in the second half as the Seahawks continued to misfire from all areas of the court. UNCW made only 36.8 percent (25-for-68) of its field goal attempts and connected on just 18-for-31 for 58.1 percent at the free throw line after entering the contest as the CAA’s top free throw shooting club.

            JMU jumped on the Seahawks early, taking a quick 14-6 lead on the strength of a 9-0 run over the first five minutes. Terrence Carter’s layup with 15:07left in the first half capped the spurt and gave the Dukes an early edge.

            UNCW answered with an 11-0 streak of its own and when Lacy tipped in a missed shot at 11:45, the Seahawks had grabbed a 17-14 edge.

            The Dukes regrouped behind Terrance Carter and junior center Dazzmond Thorton to take control, however. Carter started the rally with a layup and Thorton finished the 17-4 stretch for JMU with a transition layup with 6:57 remaining in the opening period.

            JMU went 18-for-30 in the first 20 minutes, while UNCW shot a cool 41.9 percent before the break.

            The Seahawks resume their CAA schedule Wednesday with a 7 p.m. tip-off against Towson at Trask Coliseum. The Dukes visit Old Dominion Wednesday for a 7 p.m. clash against the Monarchs at the Ted Constant Center in Norfolk, Va.

            GAME NOTES:  The Seahawks and Dukes committed just 10 turnovers each…UNCW’s starting lineup went 17-for-57 for 29.8 percent from the field…UNCW’s bench outscored their JMU counterparts, 28-10…Sophomore guard Josh Sheets reached double figures for the third time this season with 10 points off the bench…Freshman forward Dominique Lacy matched his career high with 10 points…Todd Hendley, T.J. Carter and Dominique Lacy all fouled out in the contest…Sophomore guard Montez Downey equaled his season best with eight points…The Seahawks have now allowed three teams to score 90 points this season…UNCW won the battle of the offensive boards, 20-11….Senior center Vladimir Kuljanin racked up his fifth double-double of the season.  - Story courtesy UNCW Sports Information

Photo: Cape Fear Sports Report file