Image courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications
By Daniel Merriman
JMU men’s basketball pulled out a 67-52 victory over Marshall at the AUBC on Saturday, winning a defensive battle that saw both squads shoot under 25% from 3-point range.
The Dukes led by three at the half and were able to pull away in the second half, holding a team under 55 points for just the second time all season. JMU eventually won by 15 in large part due to transition buckets and a strong second half from Terrence “Fatt” Edwards.
The young duo of Jaylen Carey (10 points on 5-6 shooting) and Xavier Brown (seven points and four rebounds) had stellar days against the Thundering Herd as well.
Edwards didn’t start off the ballgame in rhythm. He was 2-11 from the field and had not made a triple after five attempts. Regardless of his first-half struggles, he put that behind him and showed why he is an SBC conference POY candidate in the second half. The Dukes leader emerged with new intensity in the second half as he accrued 13 points on 5-9 from the field, finishing the game with 20 points. Edwards chipped in three rebounds and a team-high 4 assists in the second period too.
”Fatt a year or two ago would not have been able to get out of it [a poor first half] … the second half he was very sharp,” JMU head coach Mark Byington said. “That was a character second half for him.”
Lineup change boosts Dukes
Byington made a change to the starting lineup for only the second time this year. Sophomore Xavier Brown replaced Michael Green III at the starting point guard position and played well. Brown’s defensive intensity has impressed Byington in recent weeks and he did not disappoint versus Marshall.
Green has also been on a historically bad shooting slump (he’s 0-21 from 3-point range in 2024), so the transition to a new starter wasn’t entirely shocking. The youth movement hitting the Dukes recently is very exciting for the future of the program.
In the postgame press conference, I congratulated Brown on his first collegiate start right as the players’ press conference began.
“I appreciate it,” Brown said. “I’m more impressed by the win.”
A winning mindset has permeated through this entire program. Quotes like that epitomize that fact.
Editor’s note: Thanks to Three Notch’d Brewing for their advertising support this season.
Carey adds offense, defense
Speaking of the youth that impressed, Carey had a great game against the Herd. He put up 10 important points off the bench. Adding in two blocks and two steals was noticed, too. His defensive presence was felt and he provided some key momentum swings for James Madison. He had a massive slam, two “And-1’s,” and sent a Marshall layup attempt back to the Herd bench like a volleyball spike.
He played better than starting center T.J. Bickerstaff in significantly fewer minutes. A true freshman outplaying a super senior means you are doing something right in recruiting.
“Offense was tough to come by today,” Byington said. “For [Carey] to get those points, we really needed them today.”
Overall, the Dukes have been able to weather the storm against some quality Sun Belt teams this season. JMU’s shooting struggles are still prevalent but the Dukes are still winning games thanks to improving defense. JMU’s defensive efficiency ranking is up to 67th nationally on KenPom, as of Monday morning.
The Dukes are currently second in the SBC standings behind App State, who they play next Saturday. If the Dukes can put everything together at the right time, they will be a tremendous threat to upset a power conference team come March.