Big First Half Sets Tone in JMU’s 81-64 Quarterfinal Win over Marshall

Saturday, March 9

Pensacola, Fla.

8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT)

James Madison University

29-3,15-3Sun Belt

Marshall

13-20,7-11Sun Belt

Marshall

James Madison

Big First Half Sets Tone in JMU’s 81-64 Quarterfinal Win over Marshall

3/9/2024 11:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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PENSACOLA, Fla. – No. 2 James Madison jumped out to a 22-point first-half advantage, and five players scored in double figures to lead the Dukes to an 81-64 victory against No. 10 Marshall in the Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship quarterfinals Saturday night at the Pensacola Bay Center.

The Dukes improve to 29-3 on the year and advance to Sunday's Sun Belt semifinals, where they will face No. 11 seed Texas State (17-17), which upset No. 2 seed Troy, 74-68. With the loss, Marshall's season ends at 13-20.

It's the second straight season JMU has advanced to the conference semifinals, and the Dukes are seeking their first berth in a title game in 11 years. The win also moved JMU's record to 7-2 all-time against Marshall.

Leading the five Dukes in double figures was Terrence Edwards Jr., who scored a game-high 18 points, which included 13 in the second half. He also registered seven rebounds and six assists in the win. T.J. Bickerstaff recorded his 11th double-double of the season, tallying 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Michael Green III and Noah Freidel each recorded 12 points, while Julien Wooden added 11 points. It marked just the fifth time in JMU history that five players scored 10 or more points in a postseason game.

Marshall was led by Obinna Anochili-Killen, who scored 15 points, while Nate Martin posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures was Kevon Voyles, who added 12 points.

JMU shot 44.6 percent (29/65 FG) from the floor and made eight three-pointers, including six in the first half alone. Marshall was held to 39.7 percent (25/63 FG) shooting and made seven treys.

The Dukes also out-rebounded the Herd by a 46-37 margin, including 15-10 on the offensive glass. The teams combined for 28 assists, with JMU leading with 15.

JMU used a 14-0 first-half run to surge to a 22-point first-half lead, and Marshall never drew closer than 11 down the stretch, as JMU closed on a 10-4 run.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half – JMU 44, Marshall 29

Both teams went back-and-forth in the early minutes, but a scoring drought spanning 4:28 for the Herd gave way for an 8-0 JMU run, giving the Dukes a 13-7 lead with 13:54 remaining in the half.
Leading 15-12, JMU knocked down back-to-back threes, courtesy of Friedel and Green III, extending its lead to 21-12 with 12 minutes to play.
JMU started the game 4-for-6 from beyond the arc while Marshall had made just four total shots to that point.
The three-point barrage continued, as triples by Wooden and Green III opened up a 14-0 run to move JMU's advantage to 29-12 at the midway point of the first.
JMU stretched the lead to 20 (36-16) on a pair of Xavier Brown free throws and would lead by as many as 22, at 38-16, on a Bryant Randleman layup with 7:10 to go.
Marshall trimmed the deficit down to 15 by halftime, as JMU took a 44-29 advantage into the break.
JMU shot 47.1 percent (16/34) from the floor while Marshall was at 36.7 percent (11/30). The Dukes also controlled the glass, out-rebounding the Thundering Herd 24-16 and had five steals, leading to seven first-half turnovers.
Green III led all players with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, while Friedel and Bickerstaff each had eight. Marshall was paced by Anochili-Killen's nine points.

Second Half – JMU 81, Marshall 64

Marshall cut the JMU lead to 48-35 less than three minutes into the second, but a Brown triple sparked a 7-0 run, giving the Dukes a 55-35 advantage with 15:21 to play.
The Herd responded with a 7-0 a run of their own, thanks to threes from Connor and Voyles, making it 55-42 with 13:22 left.
JMU led by 20, but Marshall surged back with an 8-0 run in a span of 77 seconds to climb within 12, at 63-51 with 8:34 remaining – the closest the Herd had been since JMU led 24-12 in the first half.
Marshall would later get it down to an 11-point lead, at 71-60, but an Edwards Jr. trey gave JMU a 74-60 lead with 2:55 on the clock.
Marshall would only make two layups the rest of the way, as JMU defended the glass well and closed on a 10-4 run in the final few minutes.
JMU shot 41.9 percent (13/31 FG) in the half, while Marshall was a tad better, at 42.4 percent (14/33).
Edwards shot 3-of-6 from the floor and knocked down 6-of-7 from the line in the second half.
Voyles scored 10 for the Herd in the final 10, making a pair of threes.

GAME NOTES

With the win, JMU is the only Sun Belt team to advance both men's and women's programs to Sunday's semifinals.
Sunday will mark the 16th time JMU has played in a conference tournament semifinal, which it holds a 10-5 record in those games.
JMU's 44 first-half points were the seventh-most points it has scored in the opening half in its postseason history.
The Dukes led by 15 at halftime, which was tied for the third-largest lead at the break in any JMU postseason contest.
Edwards Jr. scored in double figures for the 12th straight game.
Kamdyn Curfman and Voyles, who combined for 60 points in Marshall's second-round win, were held to a collective 16 points in the loss to JMU.
JMU shot 63 percent (15/24) from the free throw line, while Marshall was 64 percent (7/11).
JMU outscored Marshall 19-12 in second-chance points, 22-12 off the bench and 32-28 in the paint.
There were two ties and three lead changes, as JMU led for 36:09, as opposed to the Herd's 2:01, which was early in the first half.