2024-02-18 04:20:09
Next Game:
at Marshall
2/21/2024 | 7 p.m.
ESPN+
Feb. 21 (Wed) / 7 p.m.
at Marshall
History
HARRISONBURG, Va. – The James Madison men’s basketball team secured its 24th win of the season with an 87-80 Sun Belt Conference victory over a feisty Georgia Southern squad on Senior Night.
The victory ties the JMU program record for wins in a season, which was set by the 1981-82 team led by Lou Campanelli.
For JMU (24-3, 11-3 SBC), six Dukes scored in double figures, including Terrence Edwards Jr. (19) and T.J. Bickerstaff (16) who combined for 35 points, 25 of which came in the second half. The team also spread out 15 assists across seven players, including Noah Freidel, Terrence Edwards Jr., and Michael Green III, who each had three.
Georgia Southern (5-22, 5-9 SBC) matched JMU by shooting over 64 percent in the second half to stay in the game. Eugene Brown III led all players with 21 points, and recorded a double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds. Three other Eagles scored in double figures, but the Dukes’ defense caused 11 turnovers which turned into 14 points and scored another 16 points on second chance baskets to outpace Georgia Southern.
How it Happened
1st Half
- T.J. Bickerstaff had the first basket of the game, making this the fourth consecutive game that the Dukes scored first. Terrence Edwards Jr. was then fouled shooting a 3-pointer. He made all three free throws to give JMU a 5-2 lead.
- GSU took a 7-5 lead with five-straight points coming from Tyren Moore, including a 3-pointer which put the Eagles in front.
- Georgia Southern held a lead for two minutes before Bryant Randleman was able to hit a tough layup through contact. He hit a free throw to complete the and-one opportunity and tie the game 9-9.
- JMU started uncharacteristically slow from the field, hitting just 3-of-13 (23 percent) to start the game through the first nine minutes of action. Meanwhile, GSU hit 10 of their first 18 shots (55 percent).
- Georgia Southern gained their largest lead (6) with 10:24 left in the 1st half (21-15).
- After chipping away at that six-point gap, JMU’s defense was able to cause four turnovers in a 3:45 span.
- Bickerstaff found Raekwon Horton cutting through the paint to tie the game, and then Jaylen Carey finished under the hoop to give JMU its first lead (29-27) in nearly 15 minutes of action.
- The Eagles were on a 1-of-9 stretch from the field, while JMU went on a 9-0 run during this stretch, with Carey scoring five-straight and Raekwon Horton adding another four.
- Carey added another free throw to close out the scoring in the first half and bring his total to eight points through the first 20 minutes of action.
- JMU finished the half 0-of-7 from three, but held the Eagles to 3-14 (21 percent) from beyond the arc.
2nd Half
- A dunk from Bickerstaff gave the Dukes their first field goal of the half and ignited the crowd. Julien Wooden then completed an and-one opportunity to make it 46-41 at the first media timeout of the half.
- Within a three-minute span, Terrence Edwards Jr. and Xavier Brown led a charge up court. The duo connected for its first of seven 3-pointers in the half. Edwards made his first four 3-pointers of the half, while Brown made his first three.
- As a team, the Dukes were a new team and hit eight of their first 10 shots to start the half.
- JMU pulled to its largest lead, going up 13 points with 11 minutes to go, still Georgia Southern wouldn’t go down. The Eagles kept it a seven-point game heading into the media timeout with less than seven minutes to play.
- After making no 3-pointers in the 1st half, the Dukes hit 7 of 11 to start the second half (70 percent). JMU gained a 73-65 advantage following Terrence Edwards hit his fourth.
- GSU started a streak from the field which lasted up until the two-minute mark, hitting nine consecutive shots during that stretch to make it an 81-75 game. The Eagles missed their next three attempts.
- Meanwhile the Dukes made their next three shots in the final two minutes to seal the win.
- The Senior Night victory was capitalized by a dunk by T. J. Bickerstaff to round out the scoring.
Other Notes:
- The 24th win of the season ties a JMU program record in single season wins, matching the 1981-82 squad.
- With the win, JMU moved to 2-1 in the all-time series with Georgia Southern.
- The seven players recognized for Senior Night were Terrence Edwards Jr., T.J. Bickerstaff, Hollman Smith, Julien Wooden, Michael Green III, and Bryant Randleman.
- Xavier Brown tied his career high in three-pointers, finishing 3-of-6 (.500) from behind the arc.
- Six Dukes scored in double figures for the first time since seven achieved the feat vs. Keystone College on Dec. 3. The last time it happened once morest a Division I opponent was Howard on Nov. 12.
- JMU held a slight advantage in second chance points (16-9) and bench points (34-25).
- The Dukes set a season high in free throw attempts (39) and tied their season best in makes (28).
- JMU tied its season low in turnovers, finishing with only five in the contest.
- The Dukes eclipsed 80 points for the 16th time this season. JMU sits ninth nationally in points per game (84.8).
- Entering tonight’s game, JMU’s average scoring margin of +13.9 is 10th in the country.
- The program record for the highest scoring margin for a JMU men’s basketball team was +14.2, set in the 1971-72 season which the team played in 23 total games
- The team had a +12.8 during the 1978-79 campaign in 26 total games.
- The Dukes had a +16.6 scoring margin through the first 23 games of the 2023-2024 season.
What’s Next:
- JMU hits the road for four-straight games to close out the regular season Sun Belt Conference schedule. They are set to play Marshall next Thursday, and then head to Georgia Southern to face the Eagles once more. The following week, the team will be at Georgia State on Thursday, and then travel to Coastal Carolina for their final game of the regular season on Saturday, March 1st.
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