Field Level Media
Dec 19, 2023
T.J. Bickerstaff had 18 points, seven rebounds and four steals as No. 20 James Madison used its depth and defense to dominate Coppin State 87-48 Tuesday night in Harrisonburg, Va.
Terrence Edwards Jr. emerged from a slump to score 16 points while Julien Wooden added 13 points, six rebounds and four steals as James Madison (11-0) extended its best start in program history and remained one of four unbeaten teams in Division I.
The Dukes, who entered as the top scoring team in Division I at 93.5 points per game, shot 50 percent from the floor and generated lots of offense from their defense, outscoring the Eagles 34-12 on points off turnovers.
Justin Winston had 13 points and eight rebounds for Coppin State (1-12), which lost its fifth in a row.
The Eagles, who entered at No. 360 in Division I at 55.8 points per game, made 34.7 percent of their shots from the floor and 1 of 13 (7.7 percent) from beyond the arc.
Coppin State committed 30 turnovers, with Michael Green III leading the Dukes' defense with six steals. James Madison totaled 22 steals as a team.
Coppin State, which upset James Madison last year 107-100 in double overtime, kept it close for the first six minutes on Tuesday.
It was tied at 14-all before the Dukes went on an 11-0 run that Green fueled with a 3-pointer and two steals that produced fastbreak baskets, one a breakaway slam by Raekwon Horton.
Later in the half, Wooden highlighted a seven-point run with a layup and followed with a steal and a pair of free throws. The mini-spree put the Dukes in front 34-19 with 5:02 before halftime.
Edwards, the Dukes' top scorer who failed to tally in a win Saturday at Hampton, suddenly heated up and notched 11 points over the final 3:11 of the first half. His two free throws at the close of the period gave James Madison a 49-26 advantage.
In the second half, the Dukes stretched their lead to 40 points as Jerrell Roberson scored on a dunk and then a layup to make it 84-44 with 3:42 left.
Noah Freidel scored 10 points for the Dukes, who outscored the Eagles in the paint 50-26. In all, 10 players scored for James Madison.
--Field Level Media