NEWARK, Del - James Madison put together another strong first-half defensive effort on Monday evening, but couldn't hold on as the Dukes dropped an 81-60 decision to Delaware in men's basketball action at the Bob Carpenter Center.
The Dukes (14-11, 5-9) started strong, but saw Delaware (17-9, 8-5) shoot 55.2% (16-29) in the second half as the Blue Hens pushed a three-point halftime deficit even wider.
Redshirt junior
Vado Morse led the Dukes in scoring with 15, while redshirt freshman
Justin Amadi tallied 10 points and seven boards. Redshirt freshman
Terrence Edwards posted a well-rounded evening with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block.
Delaware guard Jameer Nelson, Jr. racked up 30 points with the help of five three-pointers and a 9-9 performance at the free throw line to lead the Blue Hens.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The two teams traded leads three times in the first five minutes of the contest, with Delaware finally breaking the exchange with seven straight points.
The Blue Hens used a 6-0 run late in the half to take a 30-21 advantage, but JMU closed the period on an 8-2 run to cut things to 32-29 at the break.
Second Half
After Delaware missed its first two shots of the half and the Dukes pulled the deficit back to 34-33, Delaware would hit eight of its next 11 field goals to stretch the lead back to 50-39 with 12:30 to play.
JMU would get back within seven after four straight points from Morse made it 57-50 with 7:59 left, but would get no closer, as the Blue Hens would use runs of six straight and seven straight to put the game out of reach.
QUICK HITS
- With 15 points on Monday, Morse has reached that mark in 10 straight contests.
- Amadi now has three consecutive games scoring in double figures.
UP NEXT
The Dukes will head back on the road this weekend, opening their southern swing with a matchup at College of Charleston at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17. The Cougars also played Monday night, holding off Drexel for a 79-75 win at home to improve to 14-10 (6-6) on the season.