Florida Atlantic Drops NIT Game to JMU, 81-64

Tuesday, November 25

Davidson, N.C.

5:45 PM

Florida Atlantic

James Madison

11/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Nov. 25, 2008

Box Score

DAVIDSON, N.C. - James Madison shot 53 percent from the floor en route upsetting Florida Atlantic 81-64 in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament in Davidson, N.C.

Florida Atlantic (3-3) led by eight in the first half, but made just four field goals in the 10 minutes following halftime. The Owls finished 1-3 in its four NIT games.

James Madison (3-2) improves to 3-0 all-time against Florida Atlantic. Both JMU and FAU had lost earlier in the tournament to No. 24 Davidson, who was serving as a host site for consolation rounds Monday and Tuesday.

Xavier Perkins had a game-high 20 to lead the Owls in scoring for the second-straight night.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Perkins and Paul Graham III gave FAU an early 12-9 lead. The second of Graham's three 3-point makes of the first half helped the the Owls extend the advantage to eight, 19-11, at the 10:35 mark. All of Graham's nine points came in the first half.

JMU countered with a 15-2 run fueled by a string of five-straight empty FAU possessions. An isolation jumper at the top of the key by Abdulai Jalloh pulled the Dukes to within a basket, 22-20, and moments later Jalloh made a baseline 3-pointer to put the Dukes up 27-24 with 4:05 remaining before halftime.

JMU would never relinquish that lead and went into the intermission up 35-27.

JMU pushed the lead out to 10 early in the second half, but five-straight points by Royster made it 39-35 with 16:41 left. Royster and Shavar Richardson - both underclassmen - each had 12 points for FAU.

However the Owls would make just four field goals in the 10 minutes following halftime.

Russian Andrey Semonev poured in 13 of his 17 in the second half and Kyle Swanston opened the period by making three long-range shots from the wing. JMU led by as many as 21 at the 10:49 mark.

Semonev and Swanston were among five JMU players that reached double-figures in scoring.