Harrisonburg, Va. - Redshirt junior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) scored a career-high 38 points to help propel the Robert Morris University men's basketball team to an 82-77 victory over James Madison Tuesday night as part of the Philly Hoop Group Classic at the JMU Convocation Center.

The Colonials improved to 3-1 on the 2011-12 campaign, while the Dukes slip to 1-2.

Jones scored 14 of RMU's 20 points in the final 5:36 of action as the Colonials climbed out of a six-point deficit to pull out the win.

Leading, 59-51, with 12:54 remaining after a jumper from redshirt sophomore guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, Va. / Christchurch School), James Madison used a 15-3 run to take a 66-62 lead with 6:09 to play.

The Dukes made their charge thanks to the long ball, as A.J. Davis hit a trio from beyond the arc, while Andrey Semenov's three-pointer gave JMU a four-point advantage.

Jones started RMU's final surge by hitting a pair at the free-throw line to pull the Colonials within a basket, 66-64, and after a steal Jones raced down the floor for a fastbreak layup that knotted the score for fourth time on the game, 66-66, with 5:09 to go.

Enoch Hood would push James Madison back in front, 67-66, by hitting the front end of a one-on-one situation, but the Colonials took the lead for good when Jones buried a three-pointer from the top of the key with 3:58 to play.

Jones converted four straight from the charity stripe to help keep Robert Morris in front, and after Humpty Hitchens hit a pair from the free-throw line to pull the Dukes within 73-71, Williams buried a jumper off a screen with 1:04 to play to keep it a two possession game.

Jones added three free throws in the final minute of action, while senior forward Lawrence Bridges (Detroit, Mich. / Columbus State Community College) scored on a fastbreak dunk and Williams hit a pair of free throws with under a second to play.

Robert Morris and James Madison traded leads four times in the first half, with the biggest advantage for the Dukes coming at the 10:35 mark, when a jumper by Julius Wells helped JMU open up a 22-15 lead.

The Colonials responded with a 12-1 run that featured seven points from Velton Jones and a 5-for-6 performance at the free-throw line by freshman guard/forward Lucky Jones (Newark, N.J. / St. Anthony).

RMU eventually entered the break with a 45-37 lead and stretched its advantage to 49-37 in the opening minutes of the second half thanks to a jumper from redshirt junior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) and a layup from junior center Lijah Thompson (Philadelphia, Pa. / Monsignor Bonner).

James Madison climbed back into the game thanks to its shooting from downtown, as nine of its 10 field goals after intermission came from beyond the arc.

Jones finished 10-of-15 shooting from the floor, including 3-for-4 from long range, and 15-for-19 at the free-throw line in scoring the most points by a Colonial since former forward A.J. Jackson (2003-08) dropped 39 in an 89-77 win over Quinnipiac Feb. 12, 2006. Jones also added four rebounds, a pair of assists and three steals.

Williams and sophomore guard Anthony Myers (Washington, D.C. / Charis Prep) each finished with eight points, while Johnson posted six points, a game-high nine rebounds and three assists.

Davis scored 19 of his 22 in the second half for James Madison, while Hitchens added 21 points and a career-high 10 assists.

Robert Morris continues play in the Philly Hoop Group Classic with a 4:30 p.m. tilt against La Salle Friday, Nov. 25, at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa. The Colonials will conclude play in the tournament Sunday, Nov. 27, at Pittsburgh.