Herd defeat Dukes
For the second time this month, the James Madison Dukes and the Marshall Thundering Herd competed in an in-conference nailbiter. Just like the first matchup back on Jan. 7, Marshall came out on top again on Saturday afternoon with a 77-72 victory.
In the first half, while Marshall led for the most part, James Madison kept themselves within striking distance. A Bradley Douglas 3-pointer put James Madison up 7-5 at the 16:34 mark, and that was the last time James Madison led until 3:44 to go in the half.
Marshall led by as much as seven during that stretch, with a 29-22 lead with 4:59 left in the half. James Madison took the lead at 30-29 after a three-point play by Eddie Ricks III. Marshall ended the half on a 7-2 run to take the 36-32 lead into the half.
For Marshall, they were led by Wyatt Fricks, who had 11 points at the half. James Madison was led by Douglas, who had scored 10, and Justin McBride (nine).
Time to lock in 😤 pic.twitter.com/EAYJL6mb3n
— Marshall Men’s Basketball (@Herd_MBB) January 17, 2026
After Marshall took an early eight-point second-half lead at 41-33, James Madison made some substitutions, and they began to take control and gain separation. Cliff Davis drilled five three-pointers in less than three minutes to give James Madison the 48-45 lead. A 3-pointer by Douglas gave them a 55-45 lead at the 14:10 mark.
With 7:14 left in the game, James Madison was still in front 65-56 and looking like they were on their way to a bounce-back win. With Marshall getting to the free-throw line, they were able to go on an 11-0 run to take a 67-65 lead after two free throws by Fricks. Preston Fowler came back down and drilled a three-pointer to put James Madison back in front with 3:27 to go.
Jalen Speer made two free throws afterwards for Marshall, and Noah Otshudi made a layup to put them back up by three. Douglas made a short jumper to pull the game back to one.
With 1:02 left and Marshall back in front 71-70, Speer knocked down the dagger pull-up three and got fouled on top of it. He converted the four-point play to give Marshall the 75-70 lead. After Christian Brown made a layup. Otahudi made two free throws with 22 seconds left to end the game and give Marshall the victory.
That’s a WIN‼️
Thank you Herd Nation 🤘 pic.twitter.com/CdV07qxtWT
— Marshall Men’s Basketball (@Herd_MBB) January 17, 2026
Marshall was led by Speer, who scored 22 on the afternoon with 14 of those coming in the second half. He shot 7-of-19 from the floor.
For James Madison, they were led by Davis, who dropped 20 and made six 3-pointers. Douglas also added 15.
Marshall responded after losing back-to-back games to Georgia State and Coastal Carolina. They improved to 12-7 (4-3) and will face the 3-16 Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks on Thursday.
James Madison drops to 9-10 (2-5) and will face the South Alabama Jaguars at home.
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