By Bert Leeson

1/4/2024

LAFAYETTE, La. — In a thrilling matchup at the Cajundome, the #19 James Madison men’s basketball team secured its 14th victory of the season, defeating the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 68-61 and ending their 19-game home win streak. The Dukes (14-0, 2-0 Sun Belt), the first team in the country with 14 wins, showcased a gutsy second-half performance on the road to overcome a challenging first half.

How It Happened:

1st Half:

• The Ragin’ Cajuns (7-7, 0-2 Sun Belt) took an early lead, holding a 9-3 advantage in the opening minutes.
• JMU struggled, shooting 1-12 from the field, and committed seven turnovers in the first seven minutes.
• Despite early difficulties, JMU dominated the boards, outrebounding Louisiana 16-7 in the first 10 minutes.
• Terrence Edwards Jr. hit his first field goal of the game and made it a 19-15 game with 6:36 to go.
• Raekwon Horton was able to finish under the hoop with heavy contact and completed the and-one opportunity to bring the Dukes back within one.  It was 19-18 with 4:53 left in the 1st.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns went cold to close the half, making none of their last five attempts from the field, and just two of their last 10 of the half.
• T.J. Bickerstaff made a foul shot that would have tied the game 23-23, but a lane violation negated the free throw, so the Dukes went into the half down a point.  This marked the lowest combined score for a half in JMU’s season.

2nd Half:

• JMU initiated a comeback, tying the game at 28-28 with a fast break finish by Michael Green III.
• Terrence Edwards Jr. made a difficult shot with heavy contact, completing a three-point play to give JMU their first lead in nearly 22 minutes.
• An incredible pass from Edwards found Carey under the basket for a dunk, making it a 33-33 game. The Dukes had hit five consecutive shots to even the score.
• The physicality of the game started to bubble even more as Themus Fulks and Jaylen Carey got tangled up under the basket on a loose ball.
• The Dukes had three turnovers in a two-minute span, and Louisiana capitalized to retake a 38-33 lead.
• After the media timeout, a pair of missed free throws by Louisiana set the stage for an electrifying alley-oop from Edwards Jr. to Bickerstaff, propelling the Dukes to a 42-40 lead.
• In the subsequent two possessions, Bickerstaff’s jumper in the paint and Xavier Brown’s corner three fueled JMU’s remarkable 14-0 run, establishing a commanding 49-40 advantage over a three-minute span.
• Edwards Jr. heightened the excitement, joining the three-point party with a shot from straightaway, catapulting JMU to their largest lead of the game at 54-44 with less than eight minutes remaining.
• A brief scoring drought for the Dukes allowed the Ragin’ Cajuns to stage a 6-0 run, making four of their last five shots and narrowing the gap to 54-50. Louisiana battled back to within one point, tightening the score to 56-55 with just 3:27 left on the clock.
• Despite a late surge from Louisiana, JMU held on to secure the victory with a final score of 68-61.

Key Notes:

• Terrence Edwards Jr. led the Dukes with 19 points, while T.J. Bickerstaff contributed 14 points and Noah Freidel added 11 points.
• JMU shot 41.4% from the field, with a notable improvement in the second half (56.67%).
• JMU’s impressive second-half performance, including a stretch where they sank 14 of their first 17 shots, played a crucial role in the victory.
• The Dukes finished with 46 rebounds, while Louisiana had 31.
• Joe Charles led all players with 15 boards, nearly half of his team’s total.
• T.J. Bickerstaff recorded his fifth double-double of the season (14 pts, 11 rebounds)
• Raekwon Horton nearly had a double-double as well, scoring 8 points to go with 10 rebounds.
• Terrence Edwards and Noah Freidel combined for another 30 points and 12 rebounds.

Next Up:

JMU goes from one “Hub City” to the next. They travel tonight from Lafayette, Louisiana (“The Hub City”) and travel about 200 miles northeast to Hattiesburg, Mississippi (“The Hub City”), where they will play the Golden Eagles at 3 p.m. EST on Saturday, January 6th.

COURTESY JMU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS