Dukes Edge Out Thundering Herd in Thrilling 67-64 Showdown

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison men’s basketball established a lead of up to 16 but fended off a late surge from Marshall by hitting free throws to end a two-game losing streak and win, 67-64, inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center on Thursday evening.
 
Trailing 65-61 with 2.4 seconds remaining, Marshall’s Jalen Speer made a three-point shot while being fouled, narrowing the JMU advantage to 65-64, but failed to convert the free throw that would have leveled the score. AJ Smith sank two free throws with a second to go, securing the win for JMU (10-8, 3-3 SBC).
 
In spite of giving up 14 offensive rebounds and being outperformed in total rebounds 42-34, the Dukes forced Marshall (10-9, 3-3 SBC) into 17 turnovers, resulting in 17 fast-break points. Xavier Brown topped all Dukes with 13 points, while Bryce Lindsay contributed 10 points along with a career-best seven rebounds.
 
Speer led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 6-of-12, including 5-of-11 from beyond the arc. Mikal Dawon (15), Obinnna Anochili-Killen (12), and Nate Martin (11) also reached double digits for Marshall.
 
How It Unfolded
First Half: James Madison 39, Marshall 25

• The Thundering Herd committed nine turnovers in the first 11:10, allowing JMU to lead 18-11 with 8:50 remaining in the half.
• Despite being outrebounded 24-20, with 12 offensive rebounds included, the Dukes restricted Marshall to 8-of-36 (.222) shooting from the field in the first half, relinquishing only five second-chance points.
• JMU achieved a shooting percentage of 47 percent from the field (15-of-32) in the first half, taking a 14-point advantage into halftime. Marshall finished with merely 25 points, marking its second-lowest first-half scoring of the season.

 
Second Half: James Madison 67, Marshall 64

• Marshall made four of its initial five shots to start the second half, narrowing the lead to 44-37 with 15:34 remaining.
• JMU countered with an 11-4 run to stretch the score to 53-41 with 11:45 left.
• The Dukes were ahead by 10 (62-52) with 5:08 to go, but Marshall scored nine of the next 11 points to cut the lead to 64-61.
• Jalen Speer made a 3-pointer while being fouled with 2.4 seconds remaining, bringing the score to 65-64, but missed the free throw that would have tied the game.
• AJ Smith converted both free throws, giving the Dukes a 67-64 lead with 1.2 seconds remaining.

 
Game Observations

• JMU improved to 8-3 in the overall series against Marshall.
• This victory marked JMU’s first win by three points or fewer, and it is the second win for the Dukes when scoring below 70 points.
• Elijah Hutchins-Everett recorded 12 points, marking his 15th double-digit scoring game this season and the 55th in his career.
• Mark Freeman achieved a season-high three steals.
• The Dukes limited Marshall to 25 points and a season-low 22 percent (8-of-36) shooting from the field in the first half.
• Following a total of 13 assists in two losses last week, JMU managed 11 assists tonight, spearheaded by Mark Freeman’s four assists.