HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison built a double-digit lead in the second half on Thursday night, then held off a hard-charging Old Dominion team on its way to a 76-67 win in a crucial Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball matchup at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

The Dukes (19-9, 10-5 SBC) did the little things right in the victory, racking up a 37-27 rebounding advantage and tallying 18 assists on 23 baskets while forcing 13 turnovers out of the Monarchs (16-11, 8-7 SBC).

Graduate forward Mezie Offurum continued his strong play in a stat-stuffing performance, racking up a game-high 18 points with the help of a 12-14 performance at the free throw line, while adding seven rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals.

Junior forward Julien Wooden racked up 17 points – his fourth double-figure scoring night in five games – while junior guard Noah Freidel and graduate guard Takal Molson each added 14.

The victory gave JMU four straight wins over the Monarchs for the first time in program history, having only won three consecutive times on three occasions. The Dukes have now won three of the last four meetings in Harrisonburg.

Four ODU players scored in double figures, with guards Chaunce Jenkins and Bryce Baker pacing the Monarchs with 12 points each.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The two teams traded baskets for much of the opening minutes, with JMU not able to extend its lead past four until a 7-0 run gave the Dukes a 24-17 lead with just 6:50 to play in the half.

The Monarchs used seven straight points of their own to tie things up at 28-28 with 3:42 to go, but JMU put together a 12-2 run to end the half, capped by a straightaway three-pointer from Molson just before the horn that made it 40-30 at the break.

Second Half
The Dukes were able to extend their advantage early in the second half, pushing the lead to as many as 13 on multiple occasions before going up 57-44 with 9:37 to play.

From there, ODU steadily chipped away across much of the second half, finally using a 10-2 run to get as close as 67-65 with just 2:08 to play.

Offurum steadied things, however, hitting two free throws on the next possession to start a game-ending 9-2 run for the Dukes. JMU forced a pair of turnovers in the final 32 seconds and held ODU to a single basket the rest of the way to seal the victory.

QUICK HITS
– With the regular season men’s basketball sweep, JMU extended its lead to 8.5-2.5 over Old Dominion in the inaugural TowneBank Royal Rivalry Challenge.

– The second of Freidel’s three three-pointers on the night marked the 200th three of his collegiate career.

– The Dukes racked up 18 assists in both games against Old Dominion this season, their most in any Sun Belt game thus far.

– JMU trailed for just 39 seconds on Thursday night, its only 39 seconds trailing ODU this season. In their four-game win streak over ODU, the Dukes have trailed the Monarchs for just 10:43 of 160 minutes played.

– In his return from injury and first action since Jan. 14 against Georgia Southern, graduate forward Alonzo Sule pulled down four rebounds and hit a jumper in just seven minutes of action.

SUN BELT STANDINGS
Southern Miss | 12-3
Louisiana | 11-4
Marshall | 11-4
James Madison | 10-5
Troy | 9-6
App State | 8-7
ODU | 8-7
ULM | 7-8
Georgia Southern | 7-8
South Alabama | 7-8
Coastal Carolina | 5-10
Texas State | 5-10
Georgia State | 3-12
Arkansas State | 2-13

UP NEXT
The Dukes have another big-time matchup lurking on Saturday, Feb. 18, remaining at home to face second-place Louisiana in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Atlantic Union Bank Center. On Thursday night, the Ragin’ Cajuns hammered ULM at home in an 84-67 blowout to improve to 21-6 (11-4 SBC) on the season.

— JMU Athletics —