T.J. Bickerstaff delivered 21 points and 12 rebounds as No. 18 James Madison rolled past host Old Dominion 84-69 in the in-state Royal Rivalry on Saturday night in Norfolk, Va.
Michael Green III supplied 13 points and nine assists, quarterbacking the nation’s highest-scoring team as the Dukes (9-0) are off to their best start in program history.
Jaylen Carey made all six of his shots, scoring 13 points, and Terrence Edwards Jr. added 13 points, five assists and three blocked shots as the Dukes beat the Monarchs for the fifth straight time.
James Madison made 54 percent of its shots from the floor and 9 of 24 (37.5 percent) from beyond the arc. The Dukes made 48 points in the paint compared to 32 for the Monarchs.
Chaunce Jenkins scored 19 points to pace Old Dominion (3-6), which lost its third straight.
Vasean Allette contributed 14 points and Devin Ceasar came off the bench to score 13 points for Old Dominion, which opted for a five-guard lineup through much of the second half.
Even though both teams are in the Sun Belt Conference, this was not a league game because of a contractual situation. The teams will play their two conference games later this season.
James Madison rolled from the start as Old Dominion had no answer inside for Bickerstaff, who scored seven points as the Dukes sprinted to a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes.
Bickerstaff made his first five shots to help James Madison stretch its lead to double digits. When Bickerstaff picked up his second foul with 6:58 left in the half, he sat the rest of the period.
But the Dukes responded to the challenge, making 9 of their final 10 shots of the half to double their 10-point lead to a 50-30 edge at the break.
Green led the surge, making two 3-pointers and scoring nine points in the final 6:16 of the period. Xavier Brown and Noah Freidel added 3-pointers during the spree.
Edwards kept the run going, starting the second half with a 3-pointer.
The Dukes stretched their lead to as many as 24 points before the Monarchs made a run, twice whittling the deficit to 14 points.
But two buckets by Bickerstaff in the final four minutes and a 3-pointer by Edwards with 1:27 to go kept the Dukes in command.
–Field Level Media