Defense Powers Dukes Past Georgia State in Sun Belt Opener

Thursday, December 29

Atlanta, Ga.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

10-4,1-0Sun Belt

Georgia State

7-6,0-1Sun Belt

James Madison

Georgia St.

Defense Powers Dukes Past Georgia State in Sun Belt Opener

12/29/2022 9:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

ATLANTA - James Madison forced 21 turnovers and held Georgia State below 30% shooting on Thursday night, using a 24-32 performance from the free throw line to open its Sun Belt Conference men's basketball slate with a 63-47 win at the GSU Convocation Center.

The Dukes (10-4, 1-0 SBC) did not find many open looks against a staunch GSU (7-6, 0-1) defense, but knocked down free throws at a 75% clip and held the Panthers scoreless for the first 7:10 after halftime to build a comfortable lead.

Sophomore guard Tyree Ihenacho continued his scoring burst, leading the Dukes with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, adding four steals and a block across 29 minutes.

Junior guard Noah Freidel and graduate guard Takal Molson joined Ihenacho in double figures, grabbing 13 and 12 points, respectively. Graduate forward Alonzo Sule added nine points and seven boards, while sophomore forward Justin Amadi pulled down a season-high eight rebounds to lead all players.

All told, the Dukes shot just 34.6% (18-52) from the field, but grabbed a 37-36 edge on the boards and held GSU to just a 16-for-55 (29.1%) shooting performance that included a 4-for-21 (19%) mark from the three-point line.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
After GSU scored the first points of the game, the Dukes did not allow another basket for a span of 5:05, scoring nine points during that stretch to take a 9-2 lead.

The Panthers would chip away, eventually tying the contest on a free throw at 15-15 with 9:07 to play in the half, but an 8-2 run put JMU back on top and a three-pointer from Freidel sent the Dukes into the break with a 26-21 lead.

Second Half
The Dukes ramped up their defensive dominance out of the break, holding GSU scoreless for the first 7:10 of the second half and scoring 13 points across that span to build up a 39-21 advantage.

JMU went cold from the floor at that point, going 8:34 between field goals, but hit 12 free throws in that span to keep its lead above 11 throughout. That 49-38 lead at the 7:59 mark would be the closest the Panthers would get the rest of the way, as the Dukes held GSU to just two field goals of its own in the final 7:59.

QUICK HITS
- JMU has won two of its last three conference openers after losing the previous three.
- The 47 GSU points were the fewest the Dukes allowed to a conference opponent since giving up 44 to Towson on Jan. 2, 2017.
- Thursday was Ihenacho's largest scoring output as a Duke, marking the third time in his career he has scored at least 15 points.
- The 24 made free throws marked the fourth time JMU has made at least 20 from the charity stripe this season.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will stay on the road for the weekend, traveling to Huntington, W.Va. for a 2 p.m. matchup at Marshall on Saturday, Dec. 31. After handing App State a 79-53 loss on Thursday in their SBC opener, the Herd is 12-2 (1-0 SBC) on the 2022-23 season.