Dukes Reach Record with 84-58 Win Over Marshall

Wednesday, February 21

Huntington, W.Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

25-3,12-3Sun Belt

Marshall

12-16,7-8Sun Belt

James Madison

Marshall

2/21/2024 10:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The James Madison men's basketball team came away with its seventh consecutive win, and set a new program record with its 25^th win of the season on Wednesday night, as the Dukes defeated Marshall 84-58 in Sun Belt Conference play at the Henderson Center.

The victory eclipsed the previous program record set by the 1981-82 team which had a 24-win campaign led by Lou Campanelli.

The Dukes (25-3, 12-3 SBC) used a 13-0 run in the first five minutes of action to gain a lead which they would keep for the next 38 minutes. Julien Wooden and Noah Freidel both hit a team-high four 3-pointers, and JMU finished the game shooting a season-high 57 percent from long range.

Freidel led the Dukes as one of four players reaching double figures in scoring with a game-high 19 points while shooting 67 percent from the field (6-of-9). Wooden collected 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting (.750). Reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half

Marshall (12-16, 7-8 SBC) was led by Nate Martin, who recorded a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Martin was the only member of the Herd in double figures. MU struggled under the Dukes' defensive pressure which grabbed 10 steals and caused 15 turnovers. JMU's 3-point field goal defense ranks in the top-10 nationally, and held the Herd to shoot just 13.3 percent in the game.

How It Happened
1^st Half

Marshall hit a 3-pointer in its first possession to break the Dukes' streak of four-straight games scoring first.
Julien Wooden responded with a 3-pointer to tie the game in his first attempt from the field. This initiated a 13-0 run over the next five minutes, as T.J. Bickerstaff and Terrence got in on the early action with layups. Wooden scored seven of the Dukes' first 11 points and forced the Herd to call a timeout.
Marshall had three turnovers while missing five straight shots from the field in a three-minute stretch of play. On the other hand, the Dukes were good for five-straight shots.
The Thundering Herd outscored JMU 11-7 over the next eight minutes of action to make it 20-14.
Julien Wooden then went on an 8-0 run, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and then capitalizing the run with an emphatic dunk leading to another Marshall timeout. His run helped the Dukes build up to a 35-23 lead.
The fifth-year forward Wooden finished the half with 15 points, 2 rebounds, and a steal while shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor.
JMU entered the intermission with a 39-27 lead.
The Dukes held the Herd to 26 percent from the field and 10 percent (2-20) from behind the arc over the first 20 minutes.

2^nd Half

The Dukes started the second half by missing their first five shots from the field. Marshall hit just two of its 10 shots, but this made it a nine-point game (40-31).
Noah Freidel stepped into rhythm, connecting from three on consecutive trips up the court.
Bryant Randleman hit a free throw to collect his 700^th career point.
JMU then hit four-straight shots from the field, which included three 3-pointers, two from Edwards Jr, and one from Raekwon Horton.
This was part of a 14-4 run where Edwards had 10 points in just 2:22 of action, giving the Dukes a 63-42 lead with just over eight minutes to play.
James Madison outscored the Herd 19-10 over the final 6:35 of play, highlighted by another two 3-pointers by Freidel, and a breakaway dunk by Bickerstaff.
Marshall hit just two of their final eight shots of the night, including a dunk to close out the scoring at 84-58.

Other Notes:

JMU won the rebound battle (40-39), dominating the defensive boards (33-24), but Marshall held a 15-7 advantage on the offensive glass.
JMU finished the game shooting a season-high 57 percent from three, and made their third-most 3-point field goals in a game (13-23). The previous season-best 3PT FG rate was 55 percent (11-20) vs. Howard. The Dukes made 17 threes against Kent State (17-35), which went into double overtime, 16 against ULM (16-39), and 13 versus Coastal Carolina (13-30).
Jaylen Carey had eight points and four rebounds in 16 minutes.
JMU's 3-point field goal defense ranks in the top-10 nationally. It held the Herd to shoot just 13.3 percent in the game, which is the third-lowest rate for a Dukes' opponent this season. Michigan State hit just one of its 20 attempts from three in the first game of the season (.050).

What's Next
JMU continues its road trip to Georgia Southern for a Saturday night contest, then faces Georgia State next Wednesday.