Edwards hits milestone, No. 20 James Madison stays unbeaten with 89-75 win over Morgan State
AP
Dec 23, 2023
BALTIMORE (AP) James Madison Dukes has already achieved a couple big milestones as a team this season.
Now Terrence Edwards Jr. has an individual one.
Edwards scored 29 points to surpass 1,000 for his career and the 20th-ranked Dukes will enter conference play undefeated after an 89-75 victory over Morgan State Bears on Friday.
“I was only able to play two years in high school, so I was like 40 points short,” Edwards said. “I told myself I was going to get it in college, and today was the day.”
The Dukes (12-0) are one of three Division I men's teams that have yet to lose, along with No. 3 Houston and No. 25 Mississippi. James Madison began the season with an overtime victory at then-No. 4 Michigan State, and after outlasting Kent State in double OT, the Dukes entered the Top 25 for the first time.
They haven't slowed down since, and now they'll try to continue their unbeaten run against their conference opponents in the Sun Belt. Their nonconference schedule isn’t completely done, however. James Madison has a Feb. 10 game - against an opponent to be determined - that’s part of a challenge series between the Sun Belt and the Mid-American Conference.
Morgan State (4-10) led 19-18 before James Madison went on a 14-0 run that included 10 points by Julien Wooden. It was 47-35 at halftime.
The Bears started impressively in the second half and actually took a brief lead at 58-56 on a three-point play by Will Thomas.
“I feel like we’ve dealt with distractions all the time. Rankings, predictions, and everything we’re dealing with," said James Madison coach Mark Byington, whose team is off to the best start in program history. “Our guys need a break. It’s a long run, and I know they’re looking forward to Christmas. I am too. But what you can’t do is you can’t start opening candy canes at halftime, which we might have a little bit too early.”
James Madison proved too good offensively, surpassing 80 points for the eighth straight game. The Dukes entered with the top scoring average in the country at 92.9 points per game.
“When you're good, you figure out a way to win," Morgan State coach Kevin Broadus said. "That's what I think they did today."
Thomas scored 20 points for Morgan State.
BIG PICTURE
James Madison: This wasn't a particularly convincing performance by the Dukes, but the overall accomplishment - making it to Christmas unbeaten - is one the program should savor.
“Just because we're 12-0 doesn't mean we haven't been knocked back,” Byington said. “We've been knocked back sometimes, and we come back harder, and I hope we keep that in January and February and March.”
Morgan State: With leading scorer Wynston Tabbs injured, the Bears were still able to hang tough in a rare opportunity against a ranked team at home. The pace of the game didn't seem to bother Morgan State.
MILESTONE MOMENT
Edwards, in his fourth season playing for James Madison, needed 27 points to reach 1,000. He got there when he scored inside to make it 83-70.
UP NEXT
James Madison: Hosts Texas State on Dec. 30.
Morgan State: At No. 22 Virginia on Wednesday.
---
Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here.
---
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright 2025 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
1st Half
JMU
Dukes
47
MORG
Bears
35
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
(Dukes gains possession)
19:49
Noah Freidel misses two point layup
19:47
Allen Udemadu defensive rebound
19:27
+2
Kamron Hobbs makes two point layup (Rob Lawson assists)
0-2
19:08
Noah Freidel misses three point jump shot
19:06
Dukes offensive rebound
19:00
Julien Wooden misses three point jump shot
18:58
Michael Green III offensive rebound
18:39
+2
T.J. Bickerstaff makes two point jump shot
2-2
18:09
Rob Lawson misses three point jump shot
18:07
T.J. Bickerstaff defensive rebound
18:02
Allen Udemadu shooting foul (T.J. Bickerstaff draws the foul)
18:02
+1
T.J. Bickerstaff makes regular free throw 1 of 2
3-2
18:02
+1
T.J. Bickerstaff makes regular free throw 2 of 2
4-2
17:50
+2
Ahmarie Simpkins makes two point layup
4-4
17:31
Terrence Edwards Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Rob Lawson steals)
17:24
Will Thomas misses two point layup
17:22
Kamron Hobbs offensive rebound
17:12
Kamron Hobbs misses two point layup
17:10
Raekwon Horton defensive rebound
16:59
Michael Green III misses three point jump shot
16:57
Ahmarie Simpkins defensive rebound
16:57
+2
Christian Oliver makes two point layup
4-6
16:57
Kamron Hobbs personal foul
16:52
Ahmarie Simpkins shooting foul (T.J. Bickerstaff draws the foul)
16:52
+1
T.J. Bickerstaff makes regular free throw 1 of 2
5-6
16:52
+1
T.J. Bickerstaff makes regular free throw 2 of 2
6-6
16:43
Ahmarie Simpkins offensive foul
16:43
Ahmarie Simpkins turnover (offensive foul)
16:30
Noah Freidel misses three point jump shot
16:28
Bears defensive rebound
16:13
+2
Rob Lawson makes two point jump shot
6-8
15:59
Julien Wooden misses three point jump shot
15:57
Kamron Hobbs defensive rebound
15:51
+2
Trent Edwards makes two point layup (Will Thomas assists)
6-10
15:33
+2
Terrence Edwards Jr. makes two point jump shot
8-10
15:23
Rob Lawson misses two point layup
15:21
Terrence Edwards Jr. defensive rebound
15:17
Terrence Edwards Jr. turnover (bad pass)
15:17
TV timeout
15:08
Christian Oliver misses three point jump shot
15:06
Will Thomas offensive rebound
15:03
Terrence Edwards Jr. personal foul
14:57
Christian Oliver turnover (bad pass)
14:45
+3
Michael Green III makes three point jump shot (Xavier Brown assists)
11-10
14:32
Michael Green III personal foul
14:15
+2
Will Thomas makes two point jump shot (Kamron Hobbs assists)
11-12
14:00
+2
Jaylen Carey makes two point layup (Michael Green III assists)
13-12
13:34
Allen Udemadu misses two point layup
13:32
Xavier Brown defensive rebound
12:59
Xavier Brown misses two point layup
12:59
Trent Edwards defensive rebound
12:28
+2
Kamron Hobbs makes two point layup
13-14
12:28
Trent Edwards shooting foul (Raekwon Horton draws the foul)
12:28
+1
Raekwon Horton makes regular free throw 1 of 2
14-14
12:28
+1
Raekwon Horton makes regular free throw 2 of 2
15-14
12:27
+2
Trent Edwards makes two point layup (Will Thomas assists)
15-16
12:27
+3
Raekwon Horton makes three point jump shot (Noah Freidel assists)
18-16
12:26
Kamron Hobbs misses two point jump shot
12:24
Bryant Randleman defensive rebound
11:46
Raekwon Horton turnover (out of bounds)
12:28
TV timeout
11:43
Ahmarie Simpkins misses two point layup
11:41
Allen Udemadu offensive rebound
11:34
+2
Kamron Hobbs makes two point jump shot
18-18
11:29
Raekwon Horton shooting foul (Kamron Hobbs draws the foul)
11:29
+1
Demajion Topps makes regular free throw 1 of 1
18-19
11:25
Xavier Brown misses two point jump shot
11:23
Rob Lawson defensive rebound
11:08
Noah Freidel personal foul
10:56
Kamron Hobbs misses three point jump shot
10:54
Terrence Edwards Jr. defensive rebound
10:40
+2
T.J. Bickerstaff makes two point jump shot
20-19
10:22
Rob Lawson misses three point jump shot
10:20
Bryant Randleman defensive rebound
10:08
+3
Julien Wooden makes three point jump shot (Bryant Randleman assists)
23-19
9:41
Ahmarie Simpkins misses three point jump shot
9:39
T.J. Bickerstaff defensive rebound
9:19
+3
Julien Wooden makes three point jump shot (Michael Green III assists)
26-19
8:57
Will Thomas misses two point jump shot
8:55
Marvin Brimage offensive rebound
8:48
Marvin Brimage misses two point layup
8:46
T.J. Bickerstaff defensive rebound
8:40
Noah Freidel misses three point jump shot
8:38
Will Thomas defensive rebound
8:26
Michael Green III personal foul
8:21
Kamron Hobbs turnover (bad pass) (Xavier Brown steals)