RAMS TOP JMU IN ANOTHER OT THRILLER Box Score 01-31-01 HARRISONBURG, Va. - Senior Bo Jones (Richmond, Va./Huguenot) scored a game-high 17 points and sank two free throws in overtime which broke a 70-70 tie and propelled the Rams to a 73-70 victory over Colonial Athletic Association rival James Madison Wednesday night at the JMU Convocation Center. VCU built a 32-26 halftime lead and held a 45-38 advantage with 11:22 left to play before the Dukes reeled off seven consecutive points to tie the game at the 9:39 mark. JMU took its first lead of the game when sophomore Charlie Hatter buried a three-pointer with 8:50 remaining for a 48-47 Dukes' advantage. The Rams rallied in the final minutes and embarked on a 7-0 run of their own to go up 58-54 with 3:10 left in regulation, but JMU sophomore David Fanning drained a three-point basket with 20 seconds on the clock to send the game into the extra period tied at 60-60. The two teams traded baskets in the opening minutes of overtime and were knotted at 70-70 until Jones' was fouled with 2:19 remaining. The co-captain promptly hit both foul shots to give the Rams the lead for good, and VCU sealed the win when senior L. F. Likcholitov (St. Petersburg, Russia/St. Petersburg Tech. Univ.) blocked Fanning's three-point attempt with 1:5 seconds left to play. The game was the second straight overtime contest for VCU and marked the sixth time this season the Rams have gone into extra minutes this season, which ties a school single-season record first set in 1978-79 and matched during the 1999-00 campaign. Likcholitov finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for the Rams, who improved to 13-9 overall and 6-3 in CAA play with the win, while sophomore Willie Taylor (Smyrna, Tenn./LaVergne) added 12 points on the evening. Fanning led JMU (7-13, 2-7) with a career-high 20 points and made four three-pointers in defeat. VCU returns home this Saturday to take on American University (6-15, 2-8 CAA) at the ALLTEL Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. Game time is 7:30 p.m.