Dukes Romp Past Howard to Improve to 4-0

Tuesday, November 15

Washington, D.C.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

4-0,0-0Sun Belt

Howard

2-3,0-0MEAC

James Madison

Howard

11/15/2022 11:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Highlights

WASHINGTON, D.C. - James Madison rolled to its fourth straight win to open the season on Tuesday night, battling to a 95-69 victory over Howard in non-conference basketball action at Burr Gymnasium.

The Dukes (4-0) were efficient on offense once again, scoring 95 points for the fourth consecutive game for the first time in program history, while forcing 20 turnovers out of Howard (2-3) on the defensive end.

Junior guard Noah Freidel led the offensive charge with 23 points, hitting five of his nine three-pointers on his way to his best JMU scoring performance yet while adding six rebounds.

Sophomore Terrence Edwards posted another strong night, racking up 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including a 2-for-3 clip from behind the arc, while senior guard Vado Morse erupted in the second half, scoring 12 of his 17 points after halftime with the help of a 4-for-5 second-half performance from the three-point line.

Sophomore forward Justin Amadi and graduate forward Mezie Offurum each matched Freidel's game-high six rebounds, while Offurum tallied 10 points of his own.

In all, the Dukes shot 59.4% (38-64) from the field - including an eye-popping 70% (21-30) in the second half - and hit 14 of their 25 three-pointers (56.0%).

Howard guard Elijah Hawkins led the Bison with 18 points and eight assists on the night.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The two teams took up a frantic pace in the early minutes, trading baskets until Howard took a 15-12 lead at the 14:11 mark. From there, a layup from Freidel started a 16-6 JMU run that gave the Dukes a 28-21 lead with 7:51 left in the half.

Howard would get things back to four, but JMU closed the period on a 10-2 run to take a 43-31 advantage into the break.

Second Half
Graduate guard Takal Molson opened the second half with a three-pointer on the opening possession and the Bison would not get back within 10 the rest of the way. JMU continued steadily building its lead, getting as far ahead as 29 in the final minute before closing things out.

QUICK HITS
- With the win, JMU has started back-to-back seasons 4-0 for the first time in program history.
- The victory gave the Dukes consecutive road wins of 20 or more points for the first time since downing William & Mary (87-65) and Navy (76-52) on Jan. 10, 1990 and Jan 20, 1990.
- The Dukes scored 52 points in the second half on Tuesday, giving them at least 49 after halftime in all four games this season.
- Edwards' 8-of-10 shooting night marked his second such performance of the year and raised his field-goal percentage on the season to 75.9%.
- Eight different players recorded a steal and an assist on Tuesday.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will be off until the weekend, when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. to take on No. 1 North Carolina at the Dean E. Smith Center on Sunday, Nov. 20. Tipoff is scheduled for noon and the contest will be broadcast on the ACC Network.