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No. 22 James Madison improves to 7-0 with an 81-66 victory over Buffalo

AP
Nov 29, 2023

HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) TJ Bickerstaff scored 18 points and No. 22 James Madison remained unbeaten with an 81-66 victory over Buffalo on Wednesday night.

Terrence Edwards added 15 points as the Dukes (7-0) cruised to their second straight blowout victory. Bickerstaff finished with seven rebounds and four assists.

Sy Chatman scored 19 points for Buffalo (1-6).

“It was a win, but I don’t think it’s going to be a win we celebrate,” JMU coach Mark Byington said. “We didn’t play very well. We’ve got to learn from wins and learn from things we didn’t do well. I didn’t think we practiced well, and it showed.”

The Dukes opened the game on a 13-0 run in the first four minutes, including a pair of 3-pointers by Noah Freidel. He finished with 13 points.

“We had a couple guys step up and make some shots,” Byington said. “But as a group that was not one of our better ones.”

But JMU went the next five minutes without a basket as Buffalo chipped into the lead. The Dukes finished the half strong, including back-to-back 3s from Michael Green, who scored 14, to go into the half with a 37-24 lead.

While both teams continued to shoot well from 3-point range in the second half, Buffalo racked up turnovers as the Dukes pushed the lead to 18 points midway through the period. An emphatic slam by Bickerstaff made it 78-55 with four minutes to go.

Buffalo coach George Halcovage III came away impressed with the Dukes.

“Coach Byington is a heck of a coach,” Halcovage said. “That team can make a run. They are that good and they play together and they play the right way. They’ve got a good thing going here.”

THE BIG PICTURE

A tough start under Halcovage, a longtime Villanova assistant, continued for Buffalo. The Bulls have yet to defeat a Division I opponent and have now lost to three Sun Belt teams: JMU, Louisiana and South Alabama.

James Madison is one victory away from matching its best start in school history. The only time the Dukes opened a season 8-0 was 1981-82. Those Dukes beat Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing 52-50 to eventual national champion North Carolina and Michael Jordan in the second round.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Dukes stayed at No. 22, their highest ranking in school history, this week following a pair of victories in the Cancun Challenge. A victory against the struggling Bulls might not vault JMU much higher, but could be enough to keep Byington’s team ranked after starting the season outside the Top 25.

UP NEXT.

Buffalo: Has an in-state contest on tap, returning home Saturday to face St. Bonaventure.

James Madison: Is home again Sunday for a non-Division I game against Keystone College. The Dukes then travel the following Saturday to face in-state and conference rival Old Dominion in a non-conference game that won’t count in the Sun Belt Conference standings.

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1st Half
BUF
Bulls
24
JMU
Dukes
37

Time		Play	Score
20:00		Sy Chatman vs. T.J. Bickerstaff (Julien Wooden gains possession)
19:31		Sy Chatman blocks T.J. Bickerstaff's two point layup
19:29		T.J. Bickerstaff offensive rebound
19:24	+2	T.J. Bickerstaff makes two point layup	0-2
19:10		Ryan Sabol misses two point jump shot
19:08		Julien Wooden defensive rebound
19:00	+2	T.J. Bickerstaff makes two point layup (Michael Green III assists)	0-4
18:38		Sy Chatman misses two point jump shot
18:36		T.J. Bickerstaff defensive rebound
18:21		Terrence Edwards Jr. misses two point jump shot
18:19		Zaakir Williamson defensive rebound
18:00		Anquan Boldin Jr. turnover (bad pass)
17:48		Anquan Boldin Jr. personal foul (T.J. Bickerstaff draws the foul)
17:42	+3	Michael Green III makes three point jump shot (T.J. Bickerstaff assists)	0-7
17:28		Sy Chatman misses three point jump shot
17:26		Terrence Edwards Jr. defensive rebound
17:14	+3	Noah Freidel makes three point jump shot (T.J. Bickerstaff assists)	0-10
17:11		Bulls 30 second timeout
16:43		Shawn Fulcher misses three point jump shot
16:41		Noah Freidel defensive rebound
16:36	+3	Noah Freidel makes three point jump shot (Terrence Edwards Jr. assists)	0-13
16:21		Kanye Jones misses two point layup
16:19		Jonnivius Smith offensive rebound
16:16	+2	Jonnivius Smith makes two point layup	2-13
15:58		Noah Freidel misses three point jump shot
15:56		T.J. Bickerstaff offensive rebound
15:53		T.J. Bickerstaff turnover (lost ball) (Shawn Fulcher steals)
15:38	+2	Sy Chatman makes two point layup	4-13
15:20		Michael Green III misses three point jump shot
15:18		Kanye Jones defensive rebound
15:02	+3	Kanye Jones makes three point jump shot (Shawn Fulcher assists)	7-13
14:42		T.J. Bickerstaff misses two point layup
14:40		Kanye Jones defensive rebound
14:31		TV timeout
14:27		Kanye Jones offensive foul (Xavier Brown draws the foul)
14:27		Kanye Jones turnover (offensive foul)
14:15		Julien Wooden misses three point jump shot
14:13		Sy Chatman defensive rebound
13:55		Ryan Sabol misses three point jump shot
13:53		Xavier Brown defensive rebound
13:40		Jonnivius Smith blocks Raekwon Horton's two point layup
13:38		Noah Freidel offensive rebound
13:34		Xavier Brown misses three point jump shot
13:32		Julien Wooden offensive rebound
13:29		Noah Freidel misses three point jump shot
13:27		Noah Freidel offensive rebound
13:22		Julien Wooden misses two point jump shot
13:20		Sy Chatman defensive rebound
12:51		Ryan Sabol misses two point jump shot
12:49		Jonnivius Smith offensive rebound
12:44		Kanye Jones misses three point jump shot
12:42		Noah Freidel defensive rebound
12:32		Bryson Wilson shooting foul (Jaylen Carey draws the foul)
12:32		Jaylen Carey misses regular free throw 1 of 2
12:32		Jaylen Carey misses regular free throw 2 of 2
12:32		Jonnivius Smith defensive rebound
12:17		Jonnivius Smith misses two point jump shot
12:15		Quincy Allen defensive rebound
12:07		Terrence Edwards Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Jonnivius Smith steals)
12:04		Xavier Brown shooting foul (Kanye Jones draws the foul)
12:04	+1	Kanye Jones makes regular free throw 1 of 2	8-13
12:04		Kanye Jones misses regular free throw 2 of 2
12:02		Dukes defensive rebound
11:50		Terrence Edwards Jr. misses two point jump shot
11:48		Quincy Allen offensive rebound
11:45	+2	Quincy Allen makes two point layup	8-15
11:18	+3	Shawn Fulcher makes three point jump shot	11-15
11:04		Jonnivius Smith blocks Quincy Allen's two point layup
11:03		TV timeout
10:41	+3	Sy Chatman makes three point jump shot	14-15
10:11	+2	Terrence Edwards Jr. makes two point layup	14-17
9:56		Jump ball. Kanye Jones vs. Raekwon Horton (Raekwon Horton gains possession)
9:56		Kanye Jones turnover (lost ball) (Raekwon Horton steals)
9:43	+2	Noah Freidel makes two point jump shot	14-19
9:32		Raekwon Horton personal foul
9:24		Sy Chatman offensive foul (Noah Freidel draws the foul)
9:24		Sy Chatman turnover (offensive foul)
9:14		Michael Green III misses three point jump shot
9:12		Ryan Sabol defensive rebound
9:08		Shawn Fulcher misses three point jump shot
9:06		Terrence Edwards Jr. defensive rebound
9:02		Terrence Edwards Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Anquan Boldin Jr. steals)
9:00	+3	Ryan Sabol makes three point jump shot (Anquan Boldin Jr. assists)	17-19
8:41		Jonnivius Smith shooting foul (T.J. Bickerstaff draws the foul)
8:41		T.J. Bickerstaff misses regular free throw 1 of 2
8:41	+1	T.J. Bickerstaff makes regular free throw 2 of 2	17-20
8:26		Julien Wooden shooting foul (Sy Chatman draws the foul)
8:26		Sy Chatman misses regular free throw 1 of 2
8:26		Sy Chatman misses regular free throw 2 of 2
8:26		T.J. Bickerstaff defensive rebound
8:14		Sy Chatman shooting foul (T.J. Bickerstaff draws the foul)
8:14		T.J. Bickerstaff misses regular free throw 1 of 2
8:14	+1	T.J. Bickerstaff makes regular free throw 2 of 2	17-21
8:04		Noah Freidel personal foul
7:48	+2	Shawn Fulcher makes two point jump shot	19-21
7:28		Shawn Fulcher shooting foul (Xavier Brown draws the foul)
7:28		TV timeout
7:28	+1	Xavier Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 2	19-22
7:28	+1	Xavier Brown makes regular free throw 2 of 2	19-23
7:05		Shawn Fulcher turnover (lost ball)
6:43	+3	Michael Green III makes three point jump shot (T.J. Bickerstaff assists)	19-26
6:16		Bryson Wilson misses three point jump shot
6:14		T.J. Bickerstaff defensive rebound
6:05	+3	Michael Green III makes three point jump shot (Xavier Brown assists)	19-29
5:38	+3	Ryan Sabol makes three point jump shot (Bryson Wilson assists)	22-29
5:24	+2	T.J. Bickerstaff makes two point layup (Michael Green III assists)	22-31
4:53		Jonnivius Smith misses two point jump shot
4:51		Julien Wooden defensive rebound
4:37		Julien Wooden misses three point jump shot
4:35		Shawn Fulcher defensive rebound
4:27		Noah Freidel blocks Bryson Wilson's two point layup
4:25		Xavier Brown defensive rebound
4:16		Julien Wooden turnover (bad pass)
4:08		Jonnivius Smith misses three point jump shot
4:06		Julien Wooden defensive rebound
3:36		T.J. Bickerstaff misses two point jump shot
3:34		Bryson Wilson defensive rebound
3:06	+2	Jonnivius Smith makes two point layup	24-31
2:51		Jonnivius Smith blocks Noah Freidel's two point layup
2:49		Ryan Sabol defensive rebound
2:43		Bryson Wilson turnover (bad pass) (Noah Freidel steals)
2:36	+2	T.J. Bickerstaff makes two point dunk (Xavier Brown assists)	24-33
2:24		Michael Green III personal foul
2:24		TV timeout
2:08		Kanye Jones turnover (lost ball)
1:51	+2	Jaylen Carey makes two point layup (Terrence Edwards Jr. assists)	24-35
1:21		Jonnivius Smith misses two point jump shot
1:19		Xavier Brown defensive rebound
0:59		Raekwon Horton misses three point jump shot
0:57		Kanye Jones defensive rebound
0:37		Ryan Sabol misses three point jump shot
0:35		Jaylen Carey defensive rebound
0:31	+2	Terrence Edwards Jr. makes two point layup	24-37
0:27		Dukes 30 second timeout
0:07		Ryan Sabol misses three point jump shot
0:05		Anquan Boldin Jr. offensive rebound
0:02		Anquan Boldin Jr. turnover (Raekwon Horton steals)
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
BUF
Bulls
42
JMU
Dukes
44

Time		Play	Score
20:00		Anquan Boldin Jr. turnover (lost ball)
19:53	+2	Terrence Edwards Jr. makes two point layup	24-39
19:22		Jonnivius Smith turnover (bad pass) (Julien Wooden steals)
19:11		Julien Wooden turnover (traveling)
18:49		Sy Chatman misses three point jump shot
18:47		Terrence Edwards Jr. defensive rebound
18:29		Jonnivius Smith blocks T.J. Bickerstaff's two point layup
18:27		Dukes offensive rebound
18:20		Michael Green III misses two point jump shot
18:18		Bulls defensive rebound
18:17		Noah Freidel personal foul (Jonnivius Smith draws the foul)
17:55	+2	Sy Chatman makes two point jump shot	26-39
17:31	+3	Noah Freidel makes three point jump shot (T.J. Bickerstaff assists)	26-42
17:18		Shawn Fulcher turnover (lost ball) (T.J. Bickerstaff steals)
17:11		Noah Freidel misses three point jump shot
17:09		Anquan Boldin Jr. defensive rebound
16:46		Sy Chatman turnover (lost ball) (Michael Green III steals)
16:40		Terrence Edwards Jr. misses two point layup
16:38		T.J. Bickerstaff offensive rebound
16:34	+2	T.J. Bickerstaff makes two point layup	26-44
16:20		Sy Chatman misses three point jump shot
16:18		Anquan Boldin Jr. offensive rebound
16:14	+3	Ryan Sabol makes three point jump shot (Anquan Boldin Jr. assists)	29-44
15:48		TV timeout
15:43		Terrence Edwards Jr. misses two point jump shot
15:41		Zaakir Williamson defensive rebound
15:35		Zaakir Williamson turnover (offensive goaltending)
15:19		Noah Freidel misses two point jump shot
15:17		Sy Chatman defensive rebound
15:14		Michael Green III shooting foul (Shawn Fulcher draws the foul)
15:14	+1	Shawn Fulcher makes regular free throw 1 of 2	30-44
15:14		Shawn Fulcher misses regular free throw 2 of 2
15:14		Raekwon Horton defensive rebound
14:55	+2	Jaylen Carey makes two point layup (Raekwon Horton assists)	30-46
14:32		Ryan Sabol misses two point layup
14:30		Zaakir Williamson offensive rebound
14:29	+2	Zaakir Williamson makes two point layup	32-46
14:29		Jaylen Carey shooting foul (Zaakir Williamson draws the foul)
14:29	+1	Zaakir Williamson makes regular free throw 1 of 1	33-46
14:15	+2	Terrence Edwards Jr. makes two point jump shot	33-48
13:53	+2	Sy Chatman makes two point dunk	35-48
13:31		Michael Green III misses three point jump shot
13:29		Raekwon Horton offensive rebound
13:18		Terrence Edwards Jr. misses three point jump shot
13:16		Anquan Boldin Jr. defensive rebound
13:03		Michael Green III shooting foul (Ryan Sabol draws the foul)
13:02	+1	Ryan Sabol makes regular free throw 1 of 3	36-48
13:02	+1	Ryan Sabol makes regular free throw 2 of 3	37-48
13:02	+1	Ryan Sabol makes regular free throw 3 of 3	38-48
12:49	+2	Terrence Edwards Jr. makes two point layup	38-50
12:37		Jonnivius Smith turnover (lost ball) (Jaylen Carey steals)
12:29	+3	Xavier Brown makes three point jump shot (Terrence Edwards Jr. assists)	38-53
12:28		Bulls 30 second timeout
12:23	+3	Kanye Jones makes three point jump shot (Anquan Boldin Jr. assists)	41-53
12:03		Anquan Boldin Jr. shooting foul (Jaylen Carey draws the foul)
12:03		Jaylen Carey misses regular free throw 1 of 2
12:03	+1	Jaylen Carey makes regular free throw 2 of 2	41-54
11:50		Anquan Boldin Jr. misses three point jump shot
11:48		Jaylen Carey defensive rebound
11:39		Terrence Edwards Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Zaakir Williamson steals)
11:35		Noah Freidel personal foul (Kanye Jones draws the foul)
11:35		TV timeout
11:30		Sy Chatman misses two point layup
11:28		Xavier Brown defensive rebound
11:08	+3	Xavier Brown makes three point jump shot (Raekwon Horton assists)	41-57
10:48	+2	Sy Chatman makes two point layup	43-57
10:28	+2	Jaylen Carey makes two point layup (Xavier Brown assists)	43-59
9:56		Shawn Fulcher misses three point jump shot
9:54		Julien Wooden defensive rebound
9:46	+2	Raekwon Horton makes two point layup (Noah Freidel assists)	43-61
9:22		Xavier Brown shooting foul (Kanye Jones draws the foul)
9:22	+1	Kanye Jones makes regular free throw 1 of 2	44-61
9:22	+1	Kanye Jones makes regular free throw 2 of 2	45-61
8:56	+2	T.J. Bickerstaff makes two point layup (Michael Green III assists)	45-63
8:39		Ryan Sabol misses three point jump shot
8:37		Sy Chatman offensive rebound
8:33		Ryan Sabol turnover (lost ball) (Raekwon Horton steals)
8:33	+2	Michael Green III makes two point jump shot	45-65
8:00	+3	Sy Chatman makes three point jump shot	48-65
7:43	+3	Michael Green III makes three point jump shot	48-68
7:11	+3	Sy Chatman makes three point jump shot (Ryan Sabol assists)	51-68
6:53	+2	T.J. Bickerstaff makes two point layup (Michael Green III assists)	51-70
6:21		Kanye Jones misses three point jump shot
6:19		Dukes defensive rebound
6:19		TV timeout
6:05		Bryson Wilson personal foul (Terrence Edwards Jr. draws the foul)
6:03		Noah Freidel misses three point jump shot
6:01		Terrence Edwards Jr. offensive rebound
5:47		Jonnivius Smith shooting foul (Terrence Edwards Jr. draws the foul)
5:47		Terrence Edwards Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 3
5:47	+1	Terrence Edwards Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 3	51-71
5:47	+1	Terrence Edwards Jr. makes regular free throw 3 of 3	51-72
5:37	+2	Shawn Fulcher makes two point layup	53-72
5:22		Noah Freidel misses three point jump shot
5:20		T.J. Bickerstaff offensive rebound
5:15		T.J. Bickerstaff misses two point layup
5:13		Dukes offensive rebound
5:13	+2	Noah Freidel makes two point jump shot (Raekwon Horton assists)	53-74
4:58	+2	Jonnivius Smith makes two point layup (Shawn Fulcher assists)	55-74
4:58		T.J. Bickerstaff shooting foul (Jonnivius Smith draws the foul)
4:58		Jonnivius Smith misses regular free throw 1 of 1
4:58		Raekwon Horton defensive rebound
4:28		Michael Green III misses three point jump shot
4:27		Raekwon Horton offensive rebound
4:26		Anquan Boldin Jr. shooting foul (Raekwon Horton draws the foul)
4:26	+1	Raekwon Horton makes regular free throw 1 of 2	55-75
4:26	+1	Raekwon Horton makes regular free throw 2 of 2	55-76
4:24		Ryan Sabol turnover (bad pass) (Raekwon Horton steals)
4:24		Bulls 30 second timeout
4:24		TV timeout
4:21		Jonnivius Smith personal foul
4:21		T.J. Bickerstaff turnover (bad pass)
4:19		Sy Chatman offensive foul
4:19		Sy Chatman turnover (offensive foul)
4:03	+2	T.J. Bickerstaff makes two point dunk (Michael Green III assists)	55-78
3:51	+2	Kanye Jones makes two point layup	57-78
3:36		T.J. Bickerstaff misses two point layup
3:34		Sy Chatman defensive rebound
3:25		Jonnivius Smith misses three point jump shot
3:23		Anquan Boldin Jr. offensive rebound
3:19	+2	Anquan Boldin Jr. makes two point layup	59-78
2:52		Raekwon Horton misses three point jump shot
2:50		Jonnivius Smith defensive rebound
2:43	+2	Sy Chatman makes two point layup (Shawn Fulcher assists)	61-78
2:13	+3	Terrence Edwards Jr. makes three point jump shot	61-81
1:54	+2	Shawn Fulcher makes two point layup	63-81
1:26		T.J. Bickerstaff misses two point layup
1:24		Jonnivius Smith defensive rebound
1:18		Shawn Fulcher turnover (lost ball) (Michael Green III steals)
1:05		Noah Freidel misses three point jump shot
1:03		Kanye Jones defensive rebound
0:55		Raekwon Horton blocks Kanye Jones's two point layup
0:55		Bulls offensive rebound
0:55		TV timeout
0:53		Xavier Brown blocks Ryan Sabol's three point jump shot
0:51		Bulls offensive rebound
0:42	+2	Ryan Sabol makes two point layup	65-81
0:42		Raekwon Horton shooting foul (Ryan Sabol draws the foul)
0:42	+1	Ryan Sabol makes regular free throw 1 of 1	66-81
0:32		Noah Freidel turnover (lost ball) (Anquan Boldin Jr. steals)
0:32		Bulls 30 second timeout
0:25		Ryan Sabol misses two point jump shot
0:23		Michael Green III defensive rebound
0:00		End of period

Michael Green III defensive rebound