Balanced Attack Rolls Dukes Past South Dakota State

Saturday, November 26

Savannah, Ga.

12 p.m.

James Madison University

6-1,0-0Sun Belt

South Dakota State

3-4,0-0Summit League

James Madison

South Dakota St.

11/26/2022 4:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

SAVANNAH, Ga. - James Madison got double-digit scoring performances out of five different players for the third time this season on Saturday afternoon, riding an explosive second half to a 79-60 victory over South Dakota State at the Hostilo Community Classic.

The Dukes (6-1) erupted for 34 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half to turn an eight-point lead into a 27-point advantage and put the Jackrabbits in a hole they could not climb out of.

Junior guard Noah Freidel, who transferred from SDSU prior to the season, led the balanced attack with 13 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists and two steals, while graduate forward Alonzo Sule added 11 points and seven boards across just 18 minutes.

Senior Vado Morse and graduates Takal Molson and Mezie Offurum each added 10 points themselves, with three more players scoring at least seven points. The Dukes also forced 21 turnovers out of the Jackrabbits.

Zeke Mayo led the way for SDSU, racking up 16 points, while William Kyle III added 15 points and seven rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The two teams went back and forth early, tallying five lead changes inside the opening 10 minutes before the Dukes used 10 straight points to push their lead out to 34-22 with 2:39 left in the period.

SDSU would chip away in the final minutes, but JMU took a 37-29 advantage into the break.

Second Half
Sophomore Terrence Edwards opened the second period with a three-pointer to open the floodgates for the Dukes, as JMU drilled 12 of its first 17 shots out of halftime and forced eight turnovers to rip off what would end up as a 22-5 run and take a 71-44 lead at the 10:20 mark.

SDSU would cut into the lead, taking advantage of an immediate 5:23 scoring drought, but the Dukes would draw the line at 71-56 and gave up just four points across the final five minutes to see out the victory at 79-60.

QUICK HITS
- The Dukes improved to 6-1 on the season for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign.
- JMU has led by at least 22 points at least once in all six of their wins this season.
- Eight different players have led the team or tied for the team lead in assists in at least one game this year.
- JMU is now 22-0 under Mark Byington when giving up 69 or fewer points.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will be back on the court just 24 hours later, capping the Hostilo Community Classic with another noon tip on Sunday, Nov. 27 - this time against Valparaiso. The Beacons are 2-4 entering the contest, having lost to SDSU by a 61-50 margin on Friday afternoon.