Dukes Persevere Past Kent State in 2OT Thriller

Thursday, November 9

Kent, Ohio

7 p.m.

James Madison University

2-0,0-0Sun Belt

113

108

Kent State

1-1,0-0MAC

OT 1

OT 2

James Madison

113

Kent St.

108

11/9/2023 10:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Fresh off a victory Monday at fourth-ranked Michigan State, James Madison men's basketball delivered another exhilarating performance at Kent State Thursday, posting a 113-108 win in double overtime to snap the Golden Flashes' 23-game home winning streak at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in Kent, Ohio.

In one of the marquee matchups of the Sun Belt-MAC challenge, JMU improved to 2-0 on the young season while KSU dropped to 1-1. The Dukes are the first team in the nation to open with back-to-back road overtime victories in the last 30 years.

The Dukes faced nearly impossible circumstances trailing 89-84 in regulation with just 3.8 seconds left. Julien Wooden's full-court inbound pass found Noah Freidel for a 3-pointer from the right wing. Kent State was then whistled for an offensive foul on the ensuing inbound once the clock was reset to 1.2 seconds. JMU drew up a perfect play under the basket with Freidel flashing wide open on the left block for the tying layup at the buzzer.

Kent State capitalized on a JMU turnover at the end of the first overtime to hit a game-tying 3-pointer and force double OT. In the second extra stanza, freshman Jaylen Carey's layup gave the Dukes the lead for good as they pulled away for the five-point victory.

Following a 24-point effort in the opener, Terrence Edwards, Jr. led JMU again with a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds to go along with six assists and two steals.

Four other Dukes were in double figures with 16 from Xavier Brown, 15 from Noah Freidel, 13 from Michael Green III and 12 from Raekwon Horton.

JMU shot 46.8% from the floor, including 48.6% from the arc, while Kent was 41.3% overall and 39.3 from downtown. The Golden Flashes had three players over 20 points, led by Jalen Sullinger's 30 points, to go with 25 from Chris Payton, Jr. and 22 from Reggie Bass.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half

The game unfolded as a physical battle with seven fouls within the first 7:30 of play. Brown's 3-pointer leveled the score at 10-10, injecting momentum into the Dukes' play.

Quincy Allen extended JMU's lead to 22-15 with a corner three. A collective effort saw seven different Dukes contributing points in the initial 12 minutes.

Sullinger's back-to-back threes brought Kent State within four by the under-8 Media Timeout, but Freidel and Wooden's consecutive 3-pointers extended JMU's lead to 10 and two free throws by Freidel made it a game high lead of 12 at 37-25.

Kent State pushed back to cut the deficit to five heading into the break at 43-38.
Second Half

TJ Bickerstaff's strong plays in the paint to open the second stanza were countered by Kent State's 9-2 run, tying the score. Kent State secured their first lead in over 20 minutes with consecutive threes, reaching a 53-49 advantage.

JMU struggled early in the second half, shooting 36.4% on their first 11 attempts. Freidel's three narrowed the gap to 60-58, while Edwards completed a three-point play, making it 62-61.

The Dukes kept it within a few possessions until the Golden Flashes appeared to grab control, staking a 78-68 lead with 6:23 remaining. However, a quick barrage of threes from Raekwon Horton, Terrence Edwards and Michael Green in a 1:20 span brought JMU back to 80-77.

Terrence Edwards Jr.'s clutch play, including a beautiful spin move, brought the Dukes within one with 1:20 left, and the Dukes kept it within a possession until two free throws by Payton with 3.8 seconds left set the stage for Freidel's heroics.

Overtime

Edwards initiated the scoring in overtime, and Brown added a jumper after a missed and-one opportunity. JMU appeared to take control with the second big trey by Horton in as many games for a 100-94 lead with under a minute remaining.

However, Kent State ensured that the frenetic game continued with one more push. A layup by Davis and dunk by Payton made it 101-98. On the inbounds play, JMU stepped out of bounds with 12 seconds left before Sullinger's three-pointer knotted the game. JMU had a chance at a last shot, but Brown's jumper in contact came up empty.

Double Overtime

The third lead change early in the second overtime came on Carey's layup with 2:11 remaining. JMU then recorded a stop on the other end and Edwards connected on a corner three to extend the lead to 109-105. Brown hit four clutch free throws down the stretch to help JMU secure the victory.

UP NEXT

Following a pair of hard-fought road victories to open the season, JMU will make its home debut on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Atlantic Union Bank Center. Season tickets and single-game tickets are both available at JMUSports.com.