First Half Powers Dukes Past LIU

Sunday, December 18

Harrisonburg, Va.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

9-3,0-0Sun Belt

115

LIU

1-10,0-0NEC

LIU

James Madison

115

Terell Strickland LIU Long Island 121822

12/18/2022 6:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison got contributions up and down the roster on Sunday afternoon, using a monstrous first half to roll to a 115-79 victory over LIU in non-conference men's basketball at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

The Dukes (9-3) scored 22 straight points in the opening 10 minutes and shot 64.1% (25-39) from the floor in the opening period, bursting to a 65-23 advantage at the break and putting LIU (1-10) out of range early.

Junior forward Julien Wooden led the way for JMU, scoring a career-high 18 points in just 13 minutes on 6-7 shooting and hitting both his three-pointers. Senior guard Vado Morse and graduate forward Alonzo Sule tallied 15 and 12, respectively, while sophomore guard Tyree Ihenacho scored 10 - his highest scoring output at JMU.

Sophomore guard Terell Strickland returned from injury for his first action in 2022-23, controlling his 15 minutes with eight points, eight assists, five steals and two rebounds.

All told, the Dukes rolled up 23 assists and 16 steals on the afternoon, forcing 29 total turnovers out of LIU. Combined with the Dukes' 19 steals in their last outing, this marks the first time in JMU history that the Dukes have racked up 35 steals in a two-game span.

LIU guard Marko Maletic erupted for 32 points, 19 of which came in the final six minutes, to lead the way for the Sharks.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
LIU jumped out to an early 8-4 lead as the Sharks hit three of their first four shots, but the Dukes immediately responded by ripping off 22 straight points as they hit nine of their 14 shots to take a 26-8 lead at the 11:20 mark.

The Dukes would continue expanding the advantage throughout the first half before using a 20-2 run across the final four minutes of the period to take a 65-23 lead into the break.

Second Half
JMU continued its pace coming out of halftime, scoring the first four points of the second half and turning that into a 24-4 run that made it 89-27 with 12:38 to play, the Dukes' largest lead of the day.

The Sharks chipped away at the lead for the remainder of the second half, outscoring JMU in the period, but never got closer than 34 the rest of the way.

QUICK HITS
- The Dukes entered the contest with the largest average margin of victory in the nation and increased that number to +29.3 with Sunday's win.
- In his first game back and playing against his father (LIU head coach Rod Strickland), Terell Strickland matched his collegiate high with eight assists.
- The Dukes' 23 assists mark the fourth time this year that JMU has tallied at least 20 - this is the first time since 2015-16 that the Dukes have cleared that mark four times in one year.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will close out their non-conference schedule with a final road matchup on Wednesday, Dec. 21, traveling to Coppin State for an 11 a.m. matchup. The Eagles are 4-9 on the season, having dropped three straight heading into Wednesday's contest.