HARRISONBURG, Va. – Sophomore guard Terrence Edwards racked up 26 points and 11 rebounds on Wednesday night, but James Madison was overtaken late in a 92-83 loss to Marshall in Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball action at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

The Dukes (20-10, 11-6 SBC) forced 12 turnovers against the high-powered Marshall (24-6, 13-4 SBC) offense and hit 11 of their 27 three-pointers (40.7%), but the Thundering Herd was able to go 27-34 (79.4%) from the free throw line to make the difference.

Edwards posted his second double-double of the season, going 9-19 from the field and pulling down five of his 11 rebounds on the offensive end, while adding two steals and two blocks on the night.

Three other Dukes joined him in double-figure scoring, led by graduate Takal Molson, who filled the stat sheet with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. Junior forward Julien Wooden tallied 14 points off the bench, while senior guard Vado Morse had 12 points and five rebounds.

Marshall guard Taevion Kinsey erupted for 31 points and seven assists to lead the Herd, while guard Andrew Taylor added 19.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The two teams flew out of the gate and kept the pedal down throughout the first half.

Neither team led by more than Marshall’s 29-24 advantage at the 8:36 mark, which the Dukes responded to with four straight points of their own.

Six straight from JMU gave it a 43-40 lead with 2:47 to go in the half, but the Herd came out of the ensuing time out with a 10-3 run that put it back on top. A three-point play from Edwards gave the Dukes a 51-50 lead with 45 seconds left, but two more Marshall free throws gave the Herd the halftime advantage to close out a breakneck opening period.

Second Half
After the teams traded baskets early in the second half, Marshall used seven straight points to take a 63-57 lead at the 15:48 mark, but the Dukes immediately responded with an 8-2 run to tie things back up.

JMU took leads on baskets from Edwards and Molson, the last of which came with 6:38 to play, but the Herd responded to that advantage with an 8-3 run that gave it the lead for the final time.

The Dukes would get as close as two on multiple occasions, but could not tie things up, going scoreless for the final 1:33 as Marshall closed out the game with seven straight points.

QUICK HITS
– Edwards’ performance marked his season scoring high and matched his career high in rebounds.
– The Dukes have now played in seven straight single-digit games.
– JMU racked up 43 bench points, tied for its most in Sun Belt play this season.
– Molson’s 16 points marked his sixth double-digit scoring game in his last seven contests.

SUN BELT STANDINGS
Marshall | 13-4
Southern Miss | 13-4
Louisiana | 12-5
James Madison | 11-6
Troy | 10-7
ODU | 10-7
South Alabama | 9-8
App State | 9-8
Georgia Southern | 8-9
ULM | 7-10
Texas State | 6-11
Coastal Carolina | 5-12
Arkansas State | 3-14
Georgia State | 3-14

UP NEXT
The Dukes will stay at home to close out the regular season on Friday night, welcoming Georgia State to Harrisonburg for an 8 p.m. contest. On Wednesday night, the Panthers dropped a 78-52 decision to App State to fall to 10-19 (3-14 SBC).

Prior to the game, JMU will honor its four departing players: Mezie Offurum, Alonzo Sule, Takal Molson and Vado Morse.

— JMU Athletics —