HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison exploded in the second half on Friday night, turning a halftime deficit into a 90-69 win over Georgia State to cap the Sun Belt men’s basketball regular season at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

The Dukes (21-10, 12-6 SBC) clinched the No. 4 seed in next week’s Sun Belt Tournament with a remarkable second half, hitting 19 of 31 shots (61.3%) and seven of 13 three-pointers (53.8%) after halftime to outscore GSU (10-20, 3-15 SBC) by a 56-29 margin in the second period.

Graduate forward Alonzo Sule completed his return with his second double-double of the season, racking up 16 points and 12 rebounds – including six on the offensive end – while adding two blocks in 23 turnover-free minutes.

Sule paced five Dukes in double figures on the evening, with senior guard Vado Morse leading the way with 19 points, four assists and three rebounds. Morse also did not commit a turnover in his 31 minutes and has just three in his last three games, spanning 99 minutes.

Junior guard Noah Freidel tallied 15 points and sophomore guard Terrence Edwards added 12, while graduate guard Takal Molson again stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, eight boards, three assists and three steals.

In all, the Dukes assisted on 18 of their 30 field goals, including 11 of 19 after halftime, and turned the ball over just seven times while scoring 16 points off of 12 Panther turnovers.

Georgia State guards Brenden Tucker and Collin Moore each scored 16 points to lead four Panthers in double figures, while Jamaine Mann had 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Dukes got off to a strong start, forcing three early turnovers and jumping out to multiple leads of five points, including a 19-14 advantage with 9:25 on the clock.

From there, the Panthers chipped away, eventually using a 10-2 run to go up 29-23 at the 5:07 mark. They would hold the advantage the rest of the half, using a corner three-pointer with 11 seconds left in the half to take a 40-34 lead into the break.

Second Half
JMU turned things around immediately after halftime, opening the second period by ripping off a 17-4 run that gave the Dukes a lead they would not relinquish.

The Dukes went to work on the defensive end, holding Georgia State to just three baskets on its first 15 attempts in the second half, using separate runs of 10 straight and seven straight to open up a 61-48 lead with 10:22 left.

In all, the Dukes outscored GSU by a 43-12 margin across the opening 13:44 of the period to take a 77-52 lead with 6:16 to play. The Panthers would not get closer than 21 the rest of the way, closing the game on an 8-3 run after JMU cleared the bench.

QUICK HITS
– The Dukes’ 56 points in the second half marked their highest-scoring half against a conference opponent under Mark Byington.

– The win gave JMU consecutive wins over Georgia State for the first time since a stretch from 2007-09.

– JMU’s five double-digit scorers was the seventh time this season that five Dukes had cleared that barrier.

– The Dukes’ seven turnovers were their fewest of the season and their least since Feb. 10, 2022 against Elon.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will be back in action in the Sun Belt Tournament quarterfinals next Saturday, March 4, in Pensacola, Fla. JMU earned the No. 4 seed in the event and will face either No. 5 Troy or the winner of No. 12 Coastal Carolina vs. No. 13 Arkansas State at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT on March 4.

The entire Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+ up until the finals on Monday, March 6, which be featured on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT.

— JMU Athletics —