Morse, Men's Hoops Grab Win at Northeastern

Sunday, January 24

Boston, Mass.

12 p.m.

James Madison University

7-5,2-1CAA

Northeastern

8-6,7-1CAA

James Madison

Northeastern

1/24/2021 5:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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BOSTON, Mass. - Junior guard Vado Morse erupted for a career-high 30 points on Sunday afternoon, leading the way as James Madison picked up a big 79-72 win and earned a weekend split at league-leading Northeastern in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball at the Cabot Center.

The Dukes (7-5, 2-1 CAA) stormed out to a 14-point halftime lead on the strength of a 16-of-28 (57.1%) shooting performance before the break, then held off a strong Northeastern (8-6, 7-1) team in the second half to earn their biggest win of the season.

Morse bounced back from a difficult Saturday to prove nearly unstoppable on Sunday, going 10-of-18 from the floor and 5-of-11 from deep to provide the Dukes' scoring spark against the Huskies' staunch defense.

Senior Matt Lewis tallied 16 points of his own, battling through multiple defenses to add three boards and two assists without committing a turnover. On the weekend, Lewis did not turn the ball over a single time across 66 minutes of floor time.

Freshman Justin Amadi and sophomore Julien Wooden added 11 and 10 points, respectively, while freshman guard Terell Strickland erupted for 11 rebounds, including nine in the first half to pave the way for the Dukes' halftime advantage.

After the Dukes used separate first-half runs of 10-0 and 11-0 to build their lead, Northeastern began chipping away immediately after the break, using a 14-4 run to close within four points with 16:44 to play.

That would be the closest the Huskies would get, however, as Morse and JMU consistently found crucial buckets to hold Northeastern at bay. The Huskies would again close the gap to 67-63 with 5:14 left, but Morse immediately hit a three-pointer and the Dukes would maintain at least a five-point lead down the stretch.

Tyson Walker matched Morse point-for-point to lead Northeastern, racking up 30 points, five assists and five steals in a complete effort, while Shaquille Walters tallied 16 points, six boards and four assists on the day.

QUOTING COACH BYINGTON
"I'm really proud of the guys' response - we beat a really good team today. Hopefully that shows these guys that the work is working and we're heading in the right direction. We handled adversity well in the second half and really made plays down the stretch to seal that one."

QUICK HITS
- In addition to his rebounds, freshman Terell Strickland led the team with three assists for the fifth time this season - the Dukes are 4-1 when he does.
- Senior Matt Lewis drilled a pair of three-pointers, giving him at least one in 49 consecutive games, the longest active streak in NCAA Division I.
- Sunday's victory was the Dukes' first over Northeastern since a 73-69 victory on Feb. 4, 2017, and their first in Boston since a 75-63 win on Jan. 14, 2016.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will return home for midweek action this week, welcoming Towson to Harrisonburg on Wednesday, Jan. 27, for a 4 p.m. matchup at the Atlantic Union Bank Center. Since the Dukes topped Towson on its home court, the Tigers have moved to 3-7 (2-3 CAA) on the season, having dropped two games at Hofstra this weekend.