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ponder_craig
Cathy Kushner/JMU Athletics
77
Winner UNCW UNCW 13-9, 8-3 CAA
65
James Madison JMU 13-11, 6-5 CAA
Winner
UNCW UNCW
13-9, 8-3 CAA
77
Final
65
James Madison JMU
13-11, 6-5 CAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UNCW UNCW 37 40 77
James Madison JMU 23 42 65

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joe Browning

Jackson Ignites Seahawks In Big CAA Road Win At James Madison

HARRISONBURG, Virginia – Senior guard Freddie Jackson got the UNCW men's basketball team off to a strong start and the rest of the Seahawks followed suit in a key 77-65 Colonial Athletic Association victory over the Dukes on Wednesday night at the JMU Convocation Center.
 
The rejuvenated Seahawks grabbed a split of their two-game road trip and improved to 13-9 overall and 8-3 in the CAA. UNCW also moved within a half game of first place in the CAA with William & Mary, which plays at the College of Charleston on Thursday night.
 
Jackson, a silky-smooth 6-4, 185-pounder out of Wilmington, has flourished in Kevin Keatts' new system and it was never more evident than Wednesday. The former New Hanover High School star led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting and added six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
 
Senior guard Addison Spruill and redshirt junior guard Craig Ponder added 18 points apiece for the Seahawks, who hiked their road record to 6-8 this season, including 4-2 in conference action.
 
Junior guard Ron Curry placed three Dukes in double figures with 21 points, while sophomore forward Tom Vodanovich scored 12 and freshman guard Joey McLean contributed 10.
 
"We're maturing as a team," said Keatts, who has turned the Seahawks into the surprise team in the CAA. "Each win helps us get stronger. These guys feel like when the game's is close we have a chance to win."
 
The Seahawks jumped on Jackson's back in the first half to build a 14-point lead and then rode the play of Ponder, Spruill and a strong supporting cast to win at the JMU Convocation Center for the first time since an 83-46 thrashing on Jan. 26, 2006.
 
"Freddie just let the game come to him tonight," Keatts said of Jackson, who was held to just one point in Saturday's loss at Drexel. "He took the ball to the hole and did a good job of rebounding the basketball."
 
After Jackson's 19-point explosion staked the Seahawks to a 37-23 margin at intermission, the Dukes opened the second period with a 9-2 run to close the gap to 39-32 on a putback in traffic by McLean with 15:45 remaining.
 
But the elusive Ponder drained a three-pointer to kick start a string of six straight points to get the margin back to 46-32 and a bucket by Jackson with 9:47 on the clock gave the Seahawks their largest lead of the game at 61-42.
 
The Dukes finally got the deficit under double digits, 67-58, on a hook shot by Jovanovich at 4:58, but the Seahawks responded with a five-point spurt and then converted 7-of-8 free throws the rest of the way to ice the game. UNCW wound up connecting on 14-of-17 free throws in the second half to nail down the road win.
 
The hot-shooting Jackson sizzled early, scoring 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the first 20 minutes, as UNCW attacked JMU's zone defenses with precision.
 
Jackson scored 10 consecutive points in the opening minutes and his triple from the left corner staked the Seahawks to a 16-5 cushion with just over 12 minutes left in the first half.
 
JMU answered, however, with a 15-5 spurt and a triple by Winston Grays on the right side sliced the deficit to 23-20 at 4:56.
 
But UNCW closed out the half by outscoring JMU, 14-3, over the final five minutes to carry a 14-point bulge into the break. The Seahawks scored 18 of their 37 first-half points off 10 JMU turnovers to take control.
 
UNCW enjoyed a sparkling floor game, committing a season-low six turnovers against JMU's variety of zone defenses. On the defensive end, the Seahawks held JMU sophomore marksman Jackson Kent, who ranks third in the CAA in three-point field goal percentage without a trey in five attempts from deep.
 
The Seahawks return home on Saturday to battle CAA frontrunner William & Mary at 8 p.m. in the first of two straight games at Trask Coliseum. The Dukes open a three-game road trip at Towson on Saturday, taking on the Tigers at 2 p.m. in SECU Arena.
 
GAME NOTES: The Seahawks grabbed a 34-33 advantage in the longtime series with the Dukes… Ponder scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half and Spruill collected 14 of his 18 points after the break…Spruill also led the team in assists with four dimes…JMU had just seven assists on 20 baskets…UNCW wound up 9-of-15 from deep for 60 percent…Jackson played all 40 minutes in the contest…The Seahawks outrebounded the Dukes, 36-34…UNCW had 15 assists on 25 buckets…JMU led for just 1:04 in the contest…The Seahawks had 12 offensive rebounds…The two teams meet again in the home finale on "Senior Night" for the Seahawks on Feb. 25 at Trask Coliseum.
 
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