By Brenda June Temple

BOX SCORE

https://jmusports.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&id=19495

1/6/2024

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The No.19 James Madison men’s basketball team dropped its first game of the season, falling to Southern Miss 81-71 on Saturday afternoon at Reed-Green Coliseum.

After the Golden Eagles built a 53-38 lead with 15:08 remaining in the second half, JMU (14-1, 2-1 Sun Belt) climbed into the game with an 11-0 run over three minutes which cut the deficit to 53-49 with 11:54 remaining. The Dukes cut the lead to 64-60 with 6:14 left, but Southern Miss (8-7, 2-1 SBC) used a 9-0 run to pull away and hand JMU its first loss of the 2023-24 season.

Terrence Edwards Jr. led four Dukes in double figures with 15 points, while the duo of T.J. Bickerstaff (14 points, 16 rebounds) and Noah Freidel (13 points, 10 rebounds) finished with double-doubles. Jaylen Carey contributed 12 points in 14 minutes off the bench, including a perfect 5-of-5 from the field.

Defensively, Southern Miss held JMU to 39 percent shooting and a season-low two made three-pointers (2-of-17). The Golden Eagles also hit 25 free throws and recorded 17 fast break points.

Southern Miss was led by Victor Hart, who finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Andre Curbelo added 15 points and nine assists, while Austin Crowley corralled a team-leading eight boards.

How It Happened
First Half

•  Julien Wooden scored on a second-chance bucket to knot the score at six at the first media timeout.
• After Edwards Jr. hit two free throws to cut the deficit to one (13-12), Southern Miss’ Mo Arnold responded with a three-pointer and put the Golden Eagles ahead 16-12 with 13:12 remaining in the half.
• JMU fell behind by eight (22-14), but the Dukes scored on four straight trips to cut the deficit to 26-22 on a layup from Bickerstaff with 8:51 remaining.
• Out of the media timeout, Southern Miss rattled off six straight and took a 10-point lead (32-22).
• Freidel knocked down a three-pointer at 5:07, which was the first field goal for JMU in over three minutes and cut the deficit to 34-26.
• The Golden Eagles kept JMU at arm’s length for the rest of the half, as the home team went into the half with a 44-35 lead.

Second Half

• Out of the break, Southern Miss built a 12-point lead (48-36) on a layup from Hart.
• The lead grew to 53-38, but JMU used an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to four (53-49) on a layup from Bryant Randleman.
• A Raekwon Horton bucket cut the deficit to four (60-56), but the Golden Eagles responded with a jumper from Curbelo.
• A layup from Michael Green III trimmed the Southern Miss lead to 64-60, but the Golden Eagles responded with a 9-0 run to pull ahead 73-60 with 4:31 left.
• Southern Miss closed out the victory with a dunk from Donovan Ivory.

Game Notes

• Southern Miss took a 2-0 lead in the all-times series against JMU.
• Bickerstaff’s double-double is his team-leading sixth of the season. His 16 rebounds set a season-high for the graduate student and transfer from Boston College.
• Carey’s 12 points in 14 minutes marks the fourth time the freshman has reached double-figures this season. Through 15 games, Carey is averaging 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
• Freidel notched 11 rebounds, the first time securing double-digit rebounds since Nov. 6 at Michigan State. His double-double is his first of the 2023-24 season.

Up Next

• The Dukes return to Harrisonburg to begin a four-game home-stand. JMU will take on South Alabama on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. and App State on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 4 p.m. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+, and Dave Riggert will provide radio coverage on the JMU Radio Network 92.1 FM/550 AM and the Varsity Network App.

COURTESY JAMES MADISON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS