Dukes Complete Regular-Season Sweep of Rival ODU with 78-63 Win

Saturday, February 3

Harrisonburg, Va.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

20-3,8-3Sun Belt

Old Dominion

6-17,2-9Sun Belt

Old Dominion

James Madison

Dukes Complete Regular-Season Sweep of Rival ODU with 78-63 Win

2/3/2024 8:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – The James Madison men's basketball team (20-3, 8-3 SBC) completed a three-game sweep of in-state rival Old Dominion (6-16, 2-8 SBC) with a 78-63 win on Saturday night at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

The win gives JMU 20 wins at the earliest point of a season in program history, and it is the first time it has recorded 20 wins in back-to-back seasons since there were three straight seasons of 20 wins from 1991-94.

In his first start at JMU, Raekwon Horton had a career-night, recording highs in points (17) and steals (5). He also grabbed 10 rebounds, tying his career high and notching his second double-double, the first at JMU.

Noah Freidel led the team with 18 points, while Terrence Edwards Jr. had 12, and T.J. Bickerstaff contributed 10, leading the Dukes in double figures.

Devin Ceasar (14), Tyron Williams (13), Chaunc Jenkins (12), and R.J. Blakney (10) each scored in double figures, accounting for 78 percent of their team's offense.

How It Happened
1^st Half

The first six minutes of play heading into the first media timeout saw four lead changes and two ties as the teams went back-and-forth and struggled to find a rhythm from the floor. There were 10 turnovers in the first eight minutes of action – ODU had six and JMU had four.
Raekwon Horton stepped up for the Dukes in his first start at JMU, scoring four points to go along with two steals and two rebounds in the first five minutes of the game. This stretch also included his 500^th career point.
ODU went three minutes without a field goal, but stayed battling by finding a way to the free throw line. The Monarchs were 12-of-16 from the charity stripe, while the Dukes were just 5-of-10.
JMU went cold and was 1-for-8 over a stretch from the field with 4 minutes left, which resulted in ODU gaining the lead, 27-25.
Jaylen Carey provided a spark, making three layups to snap that streak for JMU and to tie the game.
The Monarchs went on a 9-5 run over a three minute span to gain a 36-32 advantage, before a free throw by TJ Bickerstaff made it a three-point game going into halftime.

2^nd Half

Julien Wooden hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Dukes back on top.
ODU was shooting 50% from the floor (12-24), while holding JMU below their season average at 43% (16-37).
Devin Ceasar hit a pair of free throws to put the Monarchs up, and then a layup by Chaunc Jenkins made it 46-45 in favor of ODU with 15:38 remaining, but this would be the last lead of the game for the visiting team.
Noah Freidel hit a shot from the short corner as the shot clock was winding down to give the dukes a 47-46 advantage.
On the following ODU drive, Raekwon Horton came up with a steal and finished through contact. Freidel then hit a big three, and the Dukes were quickly on a 14-0 run over a four-minute span. That run cumulated into a 23-4 run over six minutes of play, while the Dukes made 18 of 20 shots from the floor in that stretch.
TJ Bickerstaff scored the last five points for the Dukes, while Jason Wade and Tyron Williams both made layups in the final minute for ODU to round out the scoring.

Other Notes

JMU's win marked its 20th of the season, the second consecutive season reaching 20 victories. It is the first time the Dukes have won 20 games in back-to-back seasons since they did it three straight times from 1991-94.
The win marked the seventh consecutive victory for JMU over Old Dominion, but the Monarchs still lead the all-time series 58-33.
JMU improved to 11-1 at the Atlantic Union Bank Center this season.
The Dukes joined No. 2 Purdue, Grand Canyon, and Indiana State as teams with 20 wins.
JMU edged ODU in total rebounds (33-32) and points in the paint (34-28).
JMU finished with 17 assists on 27 made field goals, with eight different players picking up assists.
Friedel scored 18 points, the fifth straight game scoring 10 points or more.
JMU forced 15 turnovers, leading to 21 points. The Dukes also picked up 11 steals, led by Horton's five – which set a career high.
The Dukes shot 14-of-24 (.583) from the field in the second half, scoring 45 points to pull away.
JMU trailed at half for the seventh time this season.