No. 22 James Madison blitzes Fresno State, claims Cancun title

Field Level Media|published: Wed 22nd November, 23:09 2023

Nov 20, 2022; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; James Madison Dukes head coach Mark Byington reacts in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. credits: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Noah Freidel hit six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points as No. 22 James Madison dominated Fresno State 95-64 to capture the Cancun Challenge's Riviera Division championship on Wednesday night in Cancun, Mexico.

T.J. Bickerstaff scored 15 points and Raekwon Horton added 13 points as James Madison (6-0) raced to an early lead that Fresno State never seriously challenged.

The Dukes have specialized in winning close games. In four of their victories, they overcame second-half deficits. But there were no late-game heroics needed on Wednesday after they sprinted to a 26-3 lead.

Isaiah Hill and Eduardo Andre scored 12 points each to lead Fresno State (3-2). Enoch Boakye delivered eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs.

James Madison got off to a blistering start. Michael Green III scored with a corner 3-pointer on the opening possession, then the Dukes went on to hit their next five shots.

Terrence Edwards Jr. made three of them from inside the lane. Julien Wooden and Freidel added 3-pointers as the Dukes blasted to a 15-1 lead before the game was five minutes old.

Hill stopped the bleeding, hitting a mid-range jumper for Fresno State's first field goal 5:30 into the game to make it 15-3.

But James Madison responded with another run, scoring 11 straight points. Freidel highlighted the spree with a 3-pointer and Horton added consecutive putbacks as the Dukes took their 26-3 lead.

James Madison was thriving at both ends of the floor. Over the first 10 minutes, the Dukes held the Bulldogs to 1-of-13 shooting.

Jalen Weaver, who finished with 10 points, came off the bench to give Fresno State a lift. He scored three baskets from the paint as the Bulldogs played the Dukes even for a seven-minute stretch.

But in the final three minutes of the half, James Madison removed any doubt by surging again. The Dukes tallied the final 10 points of the period, half of them by Freidel, as they took a 51-23 lead at the break.

Fresno State missed all eight of its 3-point tries in the first half and finished 3 of 14 (21.4 percent) from beyond the arc, while James Madison made 10 of 23 (43.5 percent) from distance.

The Dukes made 56.3 percent of their shots overall, while the Bulldogs connected on 41.3 percent.

- Field Level Media

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