Men's Basketball Fends off Highlanders in 67-59 Win

Sunday, November 29

Harrisonburg, Va.

8:30 p.m.

James Madison University

2-1,0-0CAA

Radford

0-3,0-0Big South

Radford

James Madison

11/30/2020 12:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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HARRISONBURG, Va. - Senior Matt Lewis and junior Vado Morse combined to score 44 points and power James Madison down the stretch as the Dukes held off a charge from Radford on their way to a 67-59 win in non-conference men's basketball at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

Morse racked up 26 points, a new collegiate best, with the help of five three-pointers, while Lewis posted his fourth career double-double with 18 points and 10 boards, with the duo providing the Dukes' (2-1) biggest plays to keep the Highlanders (0-3) at bay.

Lewis scored 10 of his 18 points across the final 7:31 of the contest, at one point producing a personal 7-0 run that turned a tight 48-44 game into a 55-44 advantage for the Dukes. Sophomore Julien Wooden posted a complete night on the stat sheet, tallying 13 points to go with seven rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Although the Dukes took a 3-2 lead on their first possession and didn't give up the lead the rest of the way, Radford whittled away at an early 16-point lead to cut the advantage to as few as three and keep things within single digits for much of the second half.

Guard Fah'Mir Ali led the way for the Highlanders, tallying 15 points to lead three Radford players in double figures.

QUOTING COACH BYINGTON
"We know that may not have been the prettiest game of basketball, but it was a really important one for our team's growth to get a win. I was really happy with our defensive effort tonight, especially after that was a weakness on Friday - I think if we'd have done better on the rebounding end, this would have been a game that I would have been really, really happy with."

QUICK HITS
- Sophomore forward Michael Christmas and junior guard Jalen Hodge both saw their first action of the season for the Dukes.
- Senior Matt Lewis's double-double was the Dukes' first since Feb. 1 of this year, a stretch of 11 games.
- Head coach Mark Byington continues his success against Radford, as he is now 3-1 against the Highlanders in his coaching career.

UP NEXT
The Dukes are currently scheduled to be back in action on Monday, Dec. 7, when they welcome in-state rival Old Dominion to the Atlantic Union Bank Center for a 7 p.m. matchup. Through the opening weekend, the Monarchs are 1-1 and are scheduled to face Norfolk State on Wednesday evening.