Drexel falls to James Madison

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Drexel coach Bruiser Flint referred to the Dragons' remaining Colonial Athletic Association schedule as being "survival of the fittest."

On a snowy Wednesday night, Denzel Bowles certainly showed he was fit.

The 6-foot-10 senior exploded for 13 of his 19 points in the second half with two thunderous dunks as James Madison defeated Drexel for just the third time, 60-52, in front of a small crowd at the Convocation Center.

Before the snow stranded Drexel in Harrisonburg for the night, the Dragons nearly did something they've done only once before this season - come back to win. A sluggish start put Drexel in position to do that.

Looking to get off a three-game slide against CAA teams, JMU (16-6, 6-4 CAA) jumped out to a 12-3 start behind Bowles' six points, prompting a time-out by Flint with 13 minutes, 53 seconds left in the first half. During a pair of Drexel free throws, Flint re-emphasized his message to the team, calling Gerald Colds, Derrick Thomas and Chris Fouch over for a chat that began with violent clapping.

The Dragons (13-7, 5-5) picked up the pace and held Bowles scoreless for the rest of the half. Meanwhile, Colds was heating up, going 4 for 8 including three three-pointers. He finished with a team-high 16 points.

Although they shot 28 percent from the floor with eight turnovers, the Dragons trailed by only one, 22-21, at the break.

Thomas used his first field goal of the game to give the Dragons their first lead of the game, 25-24, with 16:18 left. Freshman teammate Dartaye Ruffin converted a three-point play at the 14:01 mark, and Drexel retook the lead at 28-26.

Later, in the span of just 15 seconds, JMU's defense, Bowles, and the lean crowd came alive.

After a Bowles fadeaway, substitute Chad Jackson stole the ball finished with a layup for a quick four-point swing and a 40-39 lead.

The Dukes never trailed the rest of the way.

Fouch hit a three-pointer with 1:33 left to bring Drexel back within three, 49-46. But Bowles kept driving and finishing late. The NBA prospect finished 5 of 6 at the foul line.

Fouch joined Colds in double-figure scoring with 12 points, coming up one three-pointer shy of moving into 12th place on Drexel's all-time list.

The Dragons will finish their two-game road trip at Hofstra (14-6, 8-1) on Saturday.