STATESBORO, Ga. – James Madison erased a 14-point first-half deficit on Thursday night, but could not hold on for the win, dropping a 76-73 decision at Georgia Southern in Sun Belt men’s basketball action at Hanner Fieldhouse.

The Dukes (17-9, 8-5 SBC) started cold, shooting just 32.3% (10-31) in the opening half, but ran down GSU (13-13, 6-7 SBC) in the second before a late Eagles surge put things out of reach for a JMU comeback.

Sophomore guard Terrence Edwards led the Dukes with 16 points and nine rebounds, while graduate student Takal Molson tallied 13 points while matching his season high with four steals.

Junior Julien Wooden had 10 points, his third-straight double-digit performance, and senior Vado Morse returned to action with 11 points, all in the final 2:14 of the contest as the Dukes mounted a furious rally.

Georgia Southern forward Andrei Savrasov notched a double-double on the night with 22 points and 10 rebounds, both game highs, while guard Jalen Finch added 18 points and seven assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Dukes took an early 10-6 lead on GSU, with four different scorers, but the Eagles responded with 18 straight points as JMU missed nine straight attempts from the field to give GSU a 24-10 lead.

Georgia Southern would go back up by 14 on three more occasions, but the Dukes closed the half on an 11-4 run, including a three from Edwards with five seconds left, to cut the gap to 40-33 at the break.

Second Half
Out of the half, the two teams went back and forth, with GSU holding a 47-40 lead until Edwards knocked down a pair of free throws at the 15:05 mark to start an 8-0 JMU run that gave the Dukes the lead with 13:30 to play.

That would be JMU’s only lead however, as the Eagles responded with an 11-4 run and gradually pushed the lead back out to 10 twice, with the second coming at 70-60 with 4:28 to play.

The Dukes did not go quietly, getting the first two of three straight three-pointers from Morse to make it 70-68 with 1:31 to play. Morse would hit another three and two free throws to eventually make it 75-73 with nine seconds left. However, after GSU missed a free throw, JMU could not get a shot off on the final possession before the horn.

QUICK HITS
– Terrence Edwards went a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line to pace a 19-22 performance for the Dukes.

– Sophomore Tyree Ihenacho had six of the Dukes’ 13 assists, tying his season high.

– Edwards has grabbed at least seven rebounds in three straight games and six times this season.

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

UP NEXT
The Dukes remain out of town for the weekend, heading to Coastal Carolina for their final road game of the season at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. On Thursday night, the Chanticleers dropped their sixth straight, falling to Marshall at home in a 92-74 defeat that dropped them to 10-15 (4-9 SBC).

— JMU Athletics —