HARRISONBURG, Va. – Julien Wooden led the Dukes (16-2, 4-2 Sun Belt) with a career night, scoring 31 points with seven three-pointers to help the James Madison men’s basketball team cruise past ULM 89-70 in Sun Belt Conference play on Thursday night.

Despite trailing by 10 (22-12) and the Warhawks (4-12, 0-6 Sun Belt) controlling much of the first half, JMU forced four turnovers, capping off a 28-4 run spanning eight minutes, which gave the Dukes a 40-28 lead at the break.

Wooden shot an efficient 70.5 percent (12-17) from the field, and 63.6 percent (7-11) from three, and provided the spark for the Dukes. Terrence Edwards Jr. and Raekwon Horton also reached double figures, scoring 17 and 15 points, respectively. Jaylen Carey also provided strong minutes off of the bench, scoring five points and grabbing a JMU team leading eight rebounds.

Defensively, JMU gave up just four three-pointers holding the Warhawks to shoot 30 percent from long range.

ULM was led by Savion Gallion who had 16 points and four rebounds. Makai Willis (15), Tyreese Watson (14), and Jalen Bolden (12) also scored double figures for the Warhawks, who were down their top two scorers after starting the game without Nik Metskhvarishvili, and then with Tyreke Locure fouling out in the first half. Locure finished with seven points, four assists, and two rebounds in 18 minutes of play, all in the first half.

How It Happened
1st Half

  • ULM opened the game on a 16-8 run shooting 8-of-16 from the floor.
  • Julien Wooden scored his first points on a two-hand dunk in the opening minutes.
  • Meanwhile JMU started out shooting 5-of-17 (.294). Xavier Brown finished in contact and Raekwon Horton hit a three-pointer help end a 3-minute scoring drought, making it a 16-11 game.
  • The Dukes opened the game missing their first nine 3-pointers
  • JMU chipped away for the first 14 minutes of action, edging back into it with their defensive pressure which caused seven first half turnovers. They scored 11 points off of those turnovers.
  • From the final media timeout of the half, ULM made just one shot (1-of-5) and had four turnovers. The Dukes made all six of their goals, scoring 17 points in that span and gaining their first lead of the game (25-24, with 3:23 left in the half).
  • Wooden had five straight points including a 3-pointer and alley-oop from Terrence Edwards Jr., who then connected for back-to-back 3-pointers himself and fueled a 28-4 run for JMU over that 7:51 span.
  • Tyreke Locure, ULM’s leading scorer, fouled out in the first half. He and Willis had seven points going into halftime.
  • Dukes trailed 22-12 with 8:21 to then erupted for 28 points from there. JMU made last nine FG after starting 5-for-20. The Dukes hit their last nine shots of the half and went into halftime with a 40-28 lead.

2nd Half

  • The Dukes built up to their largest lead of the game as Wooden scored 20 of his 31 points in the second half.
  • Jerrell Roberson hit a free throw and Jarrell Pope connected from three to round out the scoring for JMU.
  • Savion Gallion scored 15 of his 16 points in the second half and ULM closed the game on 7-0 run which had been a part of a larger 14-3 run to shorten the margin.

Other Notes:

  • Julien Wooden not only reached career-highs in points and three-pointers made in a game, but he also eclipsed 100 career three-pointers in the process.
  • Historically, the most three-pointers in a game at JMU is nine, which has been accomplished several times. Most recently, Matt Lewis hit nine against Towson (1/16/21).
  • Julien Wooden set a career-high with 31 points. His 31 points came on 12-of-17 (.705) shooting, including 7-of-11 (.636) from behind the arc, setting a career-high for made 3-pointers (7).
  • Wooden’s 31 points is the most for any JMU player this season, and the most since Vado Morse scored 32 vs. College of Charleston on Jan. 22, 2022.
  • With the win, JMU evened the all-time series with ULM at 3-3.
  • Horton scored 15 points and made 4-of-5 (.800) from behind the arc, the sixth time the junior has scored in double figures this season. Moreover, the four made threes tied his career high.
  • The Warhawks finished with 10 offensive rebounds, their third lowest output of the season. ULM came into today’s contest averaging 14.27 offensive boards per game, which ranked second in the Sun Belt.
  • Edwards Jr. reached double-figure points (17) for the 15th time in 18 games this season. The junior is averaging 17.1 points per game in 2023-24, which leads the Dukes.
  • The 16 3-pointers are the second-highest total for JMU this season (17 vs. Kent State, Nov. 9).
  • The Dukes dominated in bench points (28-14) and assists (23-10). Edwards Jr. led JMU with six assists, and Horton scored 15 points off the bench.
  • JMU’s five turnovers is tied for the lowest in a game this season. The Dukes also only committed five turnovers vs. Texas State (Dec. 30).
  • JMU finished with 23 assists and only five turnovers, good for an assist/turnover ratio of 4.6. This season, the Dukes sport an assist/turnover ratio of 1.50.

James Madison returns to the Atlantic Union Bank Center on Saturday as they host Marshall at 6:00 p.m.

— JMU Athletics —