GAME NOTES: Two teams trying to find the win column will collide this afternoon when the James Madison Dukes host the Hofstra Pride in a Colonial Athletic Association contest at the JMU Convocation Center. It has been a dreadful year for the Pride, who enter contests with a whopping 16 setbacks. This past Wednesday Hofstra saw its league record fall to 5-9 with a tough 62-53 setback to Northeastern. Next up for the Pride will be a home matchup against Towson, followed by two straight road games. As for the Dukes, they have lost eight of their last nine games, including two in a row. The last time James Madison took the floor the team was embarrassed by VCU, 75-56. This long skid has left James Madison with a terrible 4-10 record on the year. The all-time series between the two schools began with JMU winning the first four matchups. However, since then the Pride have dominated the Dukes, winning the last seven meetings, including a 66-60 victory earlier this season.

The Pride have struggled at the offensive end of the floor this season in terms of balance, netting just 64.5 ppg, with more than half of those points coming from only two players. Antoine Agudio has been outstanding throughout the season and is netting 22.2 ppg, while Charles Jenkins has also done a solid job, posting 14.3 ppg. The Pride would like to forget their last contest, as the team scored just 53 points in a loss to Northeastern. In the setback, Hofstra shot just 38.9 percent from the field and missed all eight of its three-point chances. Jenkins paced the team with 14 points, while Agudio added 13 points, despite shooting a horrendous 5-of-16 from the floor.

The Dukes are averaging a strong 73.8 ppg on the season. However, what has plagued this squad is its lack of defensive tenacity, as opponents are netting 75.0 ppg. The defensive woes continued this past Wednesday for JMU, as the team allowed VCU to shoot well over 50.0 percent from the field and from behind the arc en route to a 19-point win over the Dukes. Unfortunately the Dukes did not help themselves at the offensive end of the court, as the team shot just 39.2 percent, and made only 2-of-10 three-point shots. Abdulai Jalloh, who is leading the squad with 15.8 ppg, posted 13 points in the loss to VCU. Terrance Carter added 13 points and nine boards for JMU and is now averaging 13.4 ppg and 7.3 rpg on the season.

It is unlikely that the Dukes will contain Agudio, so the squad will have to rely on its ability to produce points. If the Dukes can put forth a strong offensive showing, they will get past Hofstra.