No. 20 JMU improves to 12-0
Edwards scores 1,000th point as Dukes turn back Morgan State’s upset bid
Terrence Edwards Jr. surpassed 1,000 career points as the No. 20 James Madison men fought off a second-half rally from Morgan State, improving to 12-0 with an 89-75 win Friday afternoon in Baltimore. The Dukes tied a program record with their 12th consecutive victory and are 12-0 for the first time.
“I was only able to play two years in high school, so I was like 40 points short,” said Edwards, who scored a game-high 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field and hit eight free throws to reach 1,002. “I told myself I was going to get it in college, and today was the day.”
The Dukes (12-0) are one of three Division I men’s teams that have yet to lose, along with No. 3 Houston and No. 25 Mississippi. JMU began the season with an overtime victory at then-No. 4 Michigan State, and after outlasting Kent State in double OT, the Dukes entered the Top 25 for the first time.
Morgan State (4-10) led 19-18 before JMU went on a 14-0 run that included 10 points by Julien Wooden. It was 47-35 at halftime.
The Bears started impressively in the second half and took a 58-56 lead on a three-point play by Will Thomas, who led Morgan State with 20 points.
“I feel like we’ve dealt with distractions all the time. Rankings, predictions and everything we’re dealing with,” said JMU’s Mark Byington, who earned his 200th college win as a head coach. “Our guys need a break.”
JMU proved too good offensively, surpassing 80 points for the eighth straight game. The Dukes entered with the top scoring average in the country at 92.9.
JMU’s Raekwon Horton came off the bench for a career-high 16 points, while Wooden (12) and Noah Freidel (10) joined him in double figures.
No. 19 Texas 71, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 55:
Dillon Mitchell had 14 points and 13 rebounds in Austin for his fifth double-double this season.
Texas (9-2) shot 48% from the field and had five players score in double figures, led by Max Abmas with 17 points. Dian Wright-Forde led the Islanders (6-6) with 10.
George Mason 69, Tulane 66: Amari Kelly and Ronald Polite scored 16 points each for the Patriots (10-2) in New Orleans as they rallied past the Green Wave (8-3).
Kelly had 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Polite had seven rebounds and six assists. Darius Maddox added 15 points.
Polite’s three-point play gave the Patriots a 67-66 lead, and they held Tulane scoreless over the final 2:48.
Sion James finished with 17 points, five assists and three steals
for Tulane.
VMI 82, Penn State-New Kensington 65:
Tyran Cook scored 17 points for the Keydets (3-10) in Lexington as they ended a fivegame slide, though they still haven’t defeated a Division I foe. AJ Clark, a freshman from Menchville High, had five points, five assists, three steals and three rebounds for VMI.
Nevada 88, TCU 75: The Wolf Pack (11-1) advanced to the Diamond Head Invitational championship game in Honolulu, thanks in part to Jarod Lucas’ 25 points. Coach Jamie Dixon was ejected because of two first-half technical fouls for TCU (9-2), which got 24 points from Emanuel Miller.
Late Thursday MEN Pepperdine 71, William & Mary 59:
Despite a second-half comeback, W&M (5-7) lost in Malibu in the Tribe’s only game on a trip to California.
Junior Matteus Case led the Tribe with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. He had missed the previous eight games due to injuries. Sophomore Trey Moss scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, playing all 40 minutes.
The Tribe (5-7) trailed by 16 at the half, but sank eight of its first nine shots in the second half. Case canned a 3-pointer from the left side with 11:35 remaining to close the gap to 49-40.
Pepperdine (6-8) answered with six consecutive points to push the
lead back to 15. Michael Ajayi, who led all scorers with 16 points, hit a jumper from the free-throw line for a 55-40 lead.
No. 1 Purdue 100, Jacksonville 57: Zach Edey scored 18 points, Lance Jones 16, Trey KaufmanRenn 15 and Myles Colvin 11 for the host Boilermakers (11-1), who won their fourth straight. Robert McCray V led the Dolphins (8-5) with 22 points.
No. 3 Houston 72, Texas State 37: Emanuel Sharp scored 17 points, Ja’Vier Francis added 13 and the Cougars improved to 12-0 for the third time, joining the teams from 2018-19 and 1967-68.
No. 8 Tennessee 65, Tarleton State 46:
Zakai Zeigler scored 13 points and Santiago Vescovi added 12 as the host Volunteers (9-3) overcame early 2-of-17 shooting in the second half.
No. 9 Kentucky 95, Louisville 76: Antonio Reeves scored 22 of his season-high 30 points in the first half, helping Kentucky win a road game in the annual battle for Bluegrass bragging rights.
Kentucky (9-2) missed seven of its first 12 attempts, but stayed within a couple of possessions behind perimeter shooting keyed by Reeves, who made 9 of 10 shots in the first half. Tre Mitchell added 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Skyy Clark had 20 points and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Cardinals (5-7).
Miami 97, Stonehill 59: Wooga Poplar scored 24 points, Norchad Omier added 20 points and 17 rebounds and the Hurricanes
(9-12) breezed at home against the Skyhawks (2-12) of Easton, Massachusetts, who are in their second year of a transition to Division I.
Boston College 85, Lehigh 69: Claudell Harris Jr. hit a careerhigh seven 3-pointers and scored a season-best 29 points to lead the host Eagles (9-3) over the Mountain Hawks (2-8) for BC’s fourth straight win. Landstown High alum Donald Hand Jr. contributed nine points and six rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench for BC.
Penn State 72, Le Moyne 55: Princess Anne High graduate Kanye Clary scored 20 points as host Penn State cruised past Le Moyne, a school located in Syracuse that’s a first-year Division I member of the Northeast Conference. Clary hit 4 of 8 from behind the 3-point line and added six assists for the Nittany Lions (6-6), who are 6-1 at home.
Richmond 72, Buffalo 66: Neal Quinn had 23 points and seven rebounds for the Spiders (7-5) as they beat the Bulls (1-10) at Robins Center. Isaiah Bigelow scored 15 and Dji Bailey 13 for UR.
Georgia Tech 73, Massachusetts 70: Kyle Sturdivant scored 21 points, including two free throws, capping Georgia Tech’s rally from a double-digit deficit in the Diamond Head Classic first round in Honolulu. Matt Cross’ 17 points and nine rebounds led UMass.
Army 63, UTSA 53: Josh Scovens had 25 points and five rebounds to help the Black Knights (3-9) beat the Roadrunners (5-7) in San Antonio, Texas. Ryan Curry had 14 points for Army.