HARRISONBURG, Va. — The South Alabama men's basketball team got behind early and could not overcome a powerful James Madison offensive attack, falling 89-55 Thursday night in Atlantic Union Bank Center. South Alabama drops to 8-8 overall and 1-3 in Sun Belt Conference play, while JMU moved to 15-1 on the season and 3-1 in conference play. 

Isiah Gaiter led with 16 points and logged his 14th game in double figures this season. Samuel Tabe joined Gaiter in double digits, scoring 15 points, snatching four rebounds, and logging two assists. In his first start as a Jaguar, Elijah Ormiston finished with 10 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. 

Three Dukes put up double figures in scoring, with Noah Friedel finishing the contest with 26 points. Terrence Edwards Jr  added 14 points of his own and Julien Woolen contributed 13 points.  

South Alabama shot 36.8 percent from the field and a season-low 15.4 percent from three-point range, while JMU shot 46.3 percent from the floor and hit 11 three-pointers.

Game Facts (How it Happened) 

• Both teams started the game even as Tabe hit the opening bucket of the game, and Tyrell Jones scored five quick points to make the score 9-8 in favor of James Madison. 
• The Jaguars tied the game up after Gaiter hit a mid-range jumper and pull-up jump shot to bring the score to 13-13 with 14:07 left in the half. 
• JMU would grab control and launch out on a 16-3 run to take a 29-16 advantage at the 9:35 mark. 
• South Alabama put a stop to the Dukes' momentum as Gaiter hit a pull-up three-pointer, Tabe hit a fade away jumper, and Ormiston rattled in a fast break layup to trim the deficit to 31-23 with six minutes left in the half. 
• James Madison closed the half on a 10-6 run and would hold a 41-29 lead at halftime. 
• The Dukes picked up right where they left off in the second half as they'd blister out on a 13-6 spurt to extend their lead to 54-35 with 15:06 left on the clock. 
• After Jones responded with a corner pocket triple, James Madison took over and blasted out on a 25-6 run to take a 78-44 advantage at the 7:09 mark. 
• James Madison would not let up and woudl walk away with the 89-55 victory. 

Notes

• Gaiter has now scored double figures in 14 out of 16 games this season. He has also led the Jags in scoring in seven games this year. 
• The Jaguars shot a season-low 15.4 percent from behind the arc. 
• Ormiston tied his season-high in rebounds for the second game in a row, grabbing seven boards on the night. 
• South Alabama shot below 70.0 percent from the free-throw line for the seventh time this year. 
• Tabe secured his seventh double-figure scoring game of the year. He also logged his fourth game this year with at least two steals.  
• South recorded only five bench points, which is the lowest of the season. 

Up Next

South Alabama will wrap up a two-game road trip in Huntington, WV. against Marshall on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. CST
 

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