No. 20 James Madison blows by Coppin State

Field Level Media|published: Tue 19th December, 21:12 2023

Dec 16, 2023; Hampton, Virginia, USA; James Madison Dukes head coach Mark Byington looks on during the second half of the game against the Hampton Pirates at Hampton Convocation Center. credits: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

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