HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison posted one of its strongest defensive performances of the season on Saturday afternoon, turning a halftime deficit into a 58-45 win over ULM in Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

The Warhawks (10-13, 6-4 SBC) led by a point at halftime, but the JMU (15-8, 6-4) defense yielded just eight total baskets and an 0-9 three-point performance after halftime while outrebounding ULM by a 20-12 margin to run away with things.

Graduate forward Mezie Offurum led the Dukes in scoring with 15 points, scoring in double figures for the 15th time this year and adding four rebounds as he steadied the JMU offense in the second half, where the Dukes outscored ULM, 32-18.

Graduate guard Takal Molson had just five points on the day, but pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds – including 10 in the second half alone – and led the defensive charge with four steals and repeated stops against ULM’s top scorers.

Sophomore Terrence Edwards and senior Vado Morse joined Offurum in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

ULM center Victor Bafutto paced the Warhawks with 10 points and seven rebounds, the only ULM player to score in double figures.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The two teams opened a back-and-forth first half, but trading early runs, with JMU hustling out to a 10-5 lead, ULM immediately going back up by a 12-10 margin and the Dukes responding with eight straight to make it 18-12 with 8:20 to play in the period.

After a three from the Warhawks, neither team led by more three the rest of the half, with ULM hitting a tough jumper from the right elbow in the final seconds to take a 27-26 lead into the break.

Second Half
ULM opened the half with a baseline jumper to make the lead three points, but the Dukes immediately ripped off eight straight points – including five straight from Offurum – and a 12-2 run in all that gave them a 38-31 lead they would not relinquish.

JMU would hold the Warhawks at bay for much of the half, but ULM closed the gap to as few as four, trailing 47-43 with 4:23 to play. From there, however, the Dukes took control, with Freidel scoring seven points in two possessions with back-to-back threes, turning one into a four-point play.

The Warhawks wouldn’t get another field goal until the final seconds as JMU scored 11 straight over the final 3:52 to go up by as much as 58-43 with less than a minute left.

QUICK HITS
– The Dukes picked up the victory in front of 6,429 fans, the second-largest crowd ever to watch a game at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.
– With the win, the Dukes have started the year 8-2 at home for all three seasons in the AUBC.
– ULM’s 45 points marks the fewest points conceded by the Dukes since yielding 44 to Towson in a 64-44 win over Towson on Jan. 2, 2017.

UP NEXT
The Dukes hit the road for their final four true road games of the season, starting with a trip to Norfolk to face in-state rival Old Dominion at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2. On Saturday afternoon, the Monarchs hit two free throws with 1.3 seconds left to grab a 60-59 win at Coastal Carolina, improving to 13-9 (5-5 SBC) on the season.

— JMU Athletics —