Julius Wells scores 18 points, leads James Madison past UMBC 53-51

James Madison sneaks past UMBC 53-51

HARRISONBURG, Va. — Julius Wells scored 18 points and James Madison defeated Maryland-Baltimore County 53-51 on Saturday night.

Wells shot 7-for-15 from the field, including four 3-pointers for the Dukes (3-2).

James Madison led 45-43 with 8 minutes to play when they went on a 7-0 run. Two free throws from Desmond Thornton made the score 52-43 with 2:29 remaining.

The Retrievers responded with an 8-0 run, and a jumper by Robbie Jackson cut the lead to 52-51 with 33 seconds left.

The Dukes made only 1 of 3 free throws in their final two possessions, but the Retrievers failed to capitalize, missing two jumpers to end the game.

UMBC (0-5) was led by Jackson, who scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

The Retrievers outrebounded James Madison 41-32, but shot only 31 percent from the field (18-for-58).