NORFOLK, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison men’s basketball dropped its Sun Belt Conference opener, 77-68, to the Old Dominion Monarchs on Wednesday night at Chartway Arena.
Justin McBride scored 24 points to lead JMU (7-5, 0-1 Sun Belt), but Ketron Shaw paced Old Dominion (4-8, 1-0 SBC) with 22 points, as the Monarchs also made 27 free throws.
Outside of McBride, Bradley Douglas and Cliff Davis chipped in with 13 points, with Douglas leading the Dukes with seven assists. McBride also led JMU with seven rebounds.
Jordan Battle (19) and Jared Turner (14) also reached double figures for ODU, which shot just 39.6 percent but made 27 free throws.
How It Happened
First Half: Old Dominion 34, JMU 22
• McBride scored 11 of the first 18 points as JMU led ODU 18-16 with 7:13 left in the half.
• Down 20-16, the Monarchs closed the half on an 18-2 run to take a 34-22 lead into the locker room – holding JMU to 1-of-9 shooting during that span.
Second Half
• ODU built its lead to 17 points – 55-38 – with 13:27 on the clock.
• The Dukes began to chip away, cutting the Monarchs’ lead to seven (57-50) with just over nine minutes remaining.
• JMU could not take advantage of opportunities to trim into the deficit more, as a three-pointer from Turner and a layup from Shaw extended ODU’s lead back to double digits at 62-50.
• The Dukes got to within seven (71-64), but could get no closer the rest of the way as ODU held on.
Game Notes
• ODU won its first game against JMU since Dec. 1, 2018.
• McBride reached double figures for the 11th time in 12 games while also scoring 20 points for the fifth time this season. Through 12 games, the junior is averaging 17.8 points per game.
Up Next
The Dukes will stay on the road for a game at Georgia Southern on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 5 p.m.
— JMU Athletics —
