Bickerstaff and Wooden Surpass 1,000 Career Points; Dukes' Comeback Bid Falls Short

Saturday, January 27

Boone, N.C.

6 p.m.

James Madison University

18-3,6-3Sun Belt

App State

17-4,8-1Sun Belt

James Madison

App State

Bickerstaff and Wooden Surpass 1,000 Career Points; Dukes' Comeback Bid Falls Short

1/27/2024 9:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOONE, N.C. -- Julien Wooden and T.J. Bickerstaff both reached 1,000 career points, but the James Madison (18-3, 6-3 SBC) men's basketball team's comeback effort against App State (17-4, 8-1 SBC) came up just short, dropping a 82-76 decision at the Holmes Convocation Center on Saturday night.

Terrence Edwards Jr. led all players with 25 points, while Bickerstaff and Noah Freidel each had 15. Both Wooden and Bickerstaff reached the 1,000-career point milestone in the second half of the game. Wooden finished the contest with eight points, while Bickerstaff recorded a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds.

App State's defense held JMU to 42 percent from the field and blocked 12 shots - including eight from Justin Abson. Abson also tallied 11 rebounds, while Tre'Von Spillers led the first-place Mountaineers with 21 points. Terence Harcum and Donovan Gregory each finished with 14 points, respectively. App State also made 30 of its 40 free throws (.750), a season-high in makes and attempts.

How It Happened
1st Half

Bickerstaff, Edwards Jr. and Wooden each scored in three consecutive possessions for JMU, putting the Dukes up 6-2.
After making their first three shots of the game, the Dukes missed 10 consecutive field goals, allowing App State to go on a 9-0 run. The Mountaineers would not lose the lead from that point on.
Edwards Jr. hit a jumper with the shot clock winding down, then on the next trip up the court, Jaylen Carey made a hook shot to cut the deficit to 15-11.
Freidel hit a three and then Edwards Jr. knocked down another jumper to enter the media timeout down just 18-16 with 7:59 left in the first.
The Mountaineers hit five of their first eight 3-pointers (.625).
JMU entered the game averaging 17.0 assists per game, but had just one assist in the first 15 minutes of play. The Dukes ended the half with three assists.
Harcum scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half for the Mountaineers, as they led 36-28 at the intermission.

2nd Half

In the opening five minutes of the second half, both teams traded baskets, each hitting three of their first seven shots, maintaining a steady margin.
Wooden, Edwards, and Bickerstaff, who were the first three Dukes to score in the first half, also scored the first three JMU buckets in the second half.
Michael Green III hit a three-pointer and Edwards Jr. added a layup to cut the JMU deficit to seven (50-43) with a little over 11 minutes left.
Spillers extended the App State lead to 56-44 on a dunk with 7:45 left, the Dukes' biggest deficit up to that point.
Wooden tallied the 1,000^th point of his career on a layup, which trimmed the Mountaineers' lead to 58-49 with 5:46 remaining.
Green III hit his second 3-pointer of the night to keep JMU within striking distance, down 68-60 with 2:19 left.
JMU hit five of six shots for a late rally as two free throws from Freidel cut the App State lead to four (80-76), but two free throws by App State's Donovan Gregory and a steal were enough for the home team.

Other Notes:

App State scored 30 points off of free throws, which accounted for 37 percent of its scoring. It was the most free throws and attempts by an opponent since the Dukes defeated Kent State in the second game of the season. The Golden Flashes made 35-of-48 free throws in that game.
App State was 30 of 40 from the charity stripe (.750), while the Dukes shot just 17 free throws total, making 12 (.706).
JMU scored 40 points in the paint, which accounted for 53% of its scoring.
In transition, the Mountaineers scored 19 points on the fast break, in comparison to JMU's five fast break points.

What's Next

The Dukes travel back home and prepare to host Coastal Carolina on Thursday at 7 p.m. Old Dominion then comes to town on Saturday for a 4 p.m. game at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.