Dukes Dominate in Royal Rivalry Showdown, Defeat ODU 78-62 Wednesday Night

Wednesday, January 24

Norfolk, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

18-2,6-2Sun Belt

Old Dominion

5-15,1-7Sun Belt

James Madison

Old Dominion

Dukes Dominate in Royal Rivalry Showdown, Defeat ODU 78-62 Wednesday Night

1/24/2024 10:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

NORFOLK, Va. – In its second trip to Norfolk this season, the James Madison men's basketball team secured a dominant 78-62 win over Old Dominion on Wednesday night at Chartway Arena.

With the win, JMU improved to 18-2 (6-2 Sun Belt) on the season, while Old Dominion fell to 5-15 (1-7 SBC).

Julien Wooden scored a game-high 23 points to lead four Dukes in double figures, while T.J. Bickerstaff notched his seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Noah Freidel contributed 15 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, while Xavier Brown added 10 points to round out the Dukes players in double-figure scoring. As a team, JMU shot 42 percent from the field and 37 percent (10-of-27) from behind the arc.

JMU closed out the first half with momentum on a 12-0 run, and they shot 54.8 percent through the first 20 minutes of play. They started the second half by gaining a 26-point advantage, which was their largest lead of the game (52-26).

After being held to just eight field goals in the first half, Old Dominion shot at a 51.7 percent clip in the second half, but the gap was too much to overcome and the Dukes were able to earn their 18^th win of the season, and their second Royal Rivalry victory of the season.

How It Happened
1^st Half

Freidel got the Dukes on the board, connecting on a three from the right wing. (3-2)
The two teams traded baskets for the first 4 minutes of play. JMU had a slight 7-6 edge at the first media timeout, and they would not look back from there.

JMU held ODU to shoot just 20% (2/10) and the Dukes forced three Monarchs' turnovers in the first 5 minutes
Julien Wooden scored eight straight points to put the Dukes up 15-6
The Dukes were able to outscore the Monarchs 17-12 over the next eight minutes of play. Jaylen Carey scored four of his seven points in this stretch, including a strong dunk off of a pass from Noah Freidel.
To this point, JMU had scored 14 points in the paint, while ODU had just four.
Xavier Brown connected from downtown to force an ODU timeout, JMU had pulled up to a 26-12 lead.
ODU finished the half shooting just 27.6%, while the Dukes shot 54.8% in the opening 20 minutes. In the last 3:47, JMU went on a 12-0 run and closed the half making six of their last seven shots to enter halftime with a 44-21 lead.

2^nd Half

ODU started the second half making eight of their first 13 shots (62 percent).
A Freidel three-pointer gave the Dukes a 26-point lead, their largest lead of the game with 15:21 left.
The Monarchs cut it to 16 as Vasean Allette scored five points which contributed to a 10-0 ODU run at the 13:02 mark.
JMU answered with five-straight points to make it 57-36 with 12 minutes to go.
ODU went on a 9-0 run over a 2-minute span with eight minutes left to make it a 15 point game (63-48.)
The Dukes went on an 8-0 run in the final three minutes and Michael Green III hit a free throw to round out the scoring.
As a team, JMU had 22 assists as a team, which is now the sixth time they have had more than 20+ assists in a game this season.

Other Notes:

The Dukes' 18 wins this season is tied for the most in the country with No.2 Purdue, who is also 18-2.
The top two team leaders in scoring for both sides all scored 10 points in the second half: Vasean Allette and Tyrone Williams both scored 10 points in the second half. Allette finished with 15 points and Williams finished with 14 to lead their team. Noah Freidel and Julien Wooden also scored 10 points in the second half. Freidel finished with 15, and Julien Wooden ended up with a game-high 23 points.
TJ Bickerstaff recorded his seventh double-double of the season. It was also the 10th game of the season where he has 10+ rebounds, and the 15th game he has 10+ points.
Julien Wooden played in his 130^th career game for JMU. This puts him in sole possession of second place all-time:
- Career
  - 1. 132 Andrey Semenov.................................08-14
  - 2. 130 Julien Wooden………………………………….19-24
  - 3. 129 Jackson Kent.........................................13-17
  - 4. 128 Ron Curry...............................................12-16
Royal Rivalry: The Dukes have taken two games from ODU on the road this season. JMU currently leads the Royal Rivalry 7.5-2.5.
Throughout the 52-year history of the matchup, there have been eight seasons in which the Dukes and Monarchs faced each other three times. JMU has never achieved a three-game sweep against ODU in a single season. However, the Monarchs accomplished this feat during the 1995-1996 season.
This was the 90th meeting of the two teams, and ODU holds a 58-32 edge over the Dukes in the series, but JMU has won in the last six meetings. Between both the men's and women's basketball teams, the Dukes have won a combined 15 games in a row versus Old Dominion.

What's Next:

The Dukes head home for a day to prepare for another road contest this weekend when they head to App State. They will face the Mountaineers for the second time in two weeks after hosting them on Jan. 13^th. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Next week JMU hosts Coastal Carolina on Thursday, February 1^st, and ODU on Saturday February 3^rd at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.