Harrisonburg, Va. - The William and Mary men's basketball team played tough with CAA rival James Madison, but dropped a 76-67 road decision on Saturday night. The College hit 11 3-pointers on the evening and dished out 18 assists as a team, but could not overcome the Dukes 50 percent shooting from the floor and 28-of-34 from the free throw line. The Tribe falls to 8-17 overall and 3-12 in CAA play, while JMU improved to 17-10 on the year and 9-6 in league action.

Freshman forward Quinn McDowell continued his stellar freshman season, finishing with a career and game-high 20 points to go along with team-highs in rebounds (6) and assists (4). Juniors David Schneider and Danny Sumner also added double-digit performances for the Tribe with 18 and 12, respectively. Schneider added four assists and four 3-point field goals, while junior guard Sean McCurdy chipped in four assists as well compared to zero turnovers in 24 minutes of action.

The Dukes led by three at the intermission, 32-29, but McDowell quickly evened things with a 3-pointer from the left wing on the opening possession of the second half. JMU responded with six straight points to retake the lead. Dazzmond Thornton converted on the ensuing Duke possession, before a driving conventional 3-point play from Pierre Curtis extended the margin to five. A Julius Wells free throw made it 38-32 just 1:24 into the second stanza.

James Madison's lead reached eight on a Devon Moore floater along the right baseline at the 14:30. The Dukes maintained the advantage and led 53-45 following a pair of Curtis freebies at the 12:32 mark.

W&M began chipping away at the deficit and used a 10-2 run to tie the contest at 55. McDowell started the run with a 3-pointer from in front of the Tribe bench, before Schneider drove to the basket, cutting the margin to a single possession. The two teams traded buckets, before senior Peter Stein found Schneider in the corner for a 3-pointer to tie the contest at 55 with 8:40 left.

On the ensuing JMU possesion, Thornton was fouled and converted 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to put the Dukes back on top 56-55. Following the under eight minutes, W&M narrowly missed taking the lead as a Sumner had his wide open 3-point attempt from the left wing rattle out. After the two teams traded baskets and Moore hit on 1-of-2 from the free throw line for JMU, McDowell had a long range attempt that would have gave the College a 60-59 lead go half down and pop out at the 5:27 mark.

Juwann James hit a pair of free throws for the Dukes on the next JMU possession, and the Tribe could get no closer than four the rest of the way. James Madison hit 13 of its final 14 chances from the free throw line over the final five minutes to preserve the victory.

W&M finished the game shooting 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the field and 39.3 percent (11-of-28) from 3-point range. On the flip side, JMU connected on 50 percent (21-of-42) from the field and was 28-of-34 (82.4) from the free throw line.

Like it did during its meeting in Williamsburg, the Tribe jumped out of the gates quick, scoring 10 of the game's first 12 points. After McDowell and sophomore Marcus Kitts traded assists and buckets, McDowell drilled a triple from the left corner to put the Tribe on top, 7-2. In total, the College connected on its opening four shots of the game and following a free throw from Kitts led 10-2 four minutes into the contest.

JMU scored five quick points to pull within 10-7 after a longball from Julius Wells and a bucket in the paint from Thornton. The Green and Gold responded with an 8-2 run to take its largest lead of the opening 20 minutes at 18-9. McCurdy drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner, before finding Stein for a lay-up. McDowell capped the run with a steal on the defensive end and dished to a wide open Sumner on the left wing in transition, forcing a JMU timeout at the 12:19 mark.

The Dukes scored five straight points, but the College answered to maintain a lead. Senior Chris Darnell scored on an offensive putback at the 9:10 mark to give the Tribe a seven-point, 23-16 lead. James Madison held W&M scoreless for the next five minutes and used a 13-point run to take its first lead of the opening half. A pair of free throws from Moore at the 6:59 mark tied the game at 23, before a Thornton lay-up gave JMU a 29-23 lead with five minutes left in the first half. A Schneider 3-pointer from the top of the key at the 3:59 mark ended the scoring drought for the Tribe, but JMU took a three-point lead, 32-29, into the locker room.

W&M continues its road trip at Towson on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. Fans can catch the action on the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley, Charlie Woollum and Bill McDonald on the call. The broadcast can be heard live over the Internet at TribeAthletics.com.

Box Score