Terrence Edwards had 24 points and Raekwon Horton made a 3-pointer with 8.6 seconds left in overtime, sending James Madison past No. 4 Michigan State for a 79-76 victory on Monday night.
Tyson Walker scored 35 points for Michigan State, but he had the ball poked away from behind in the closing seconds of the season opener.
The Spartans shot 36.1% overall. They missed 19 of 20 3-point shots and made just 23 of 37 free throws.
Walker made a layup to give Michigan State a four-point lead with 1:26 left in regulation, and it lost the advantage at both ends of the court.
Noah Freidel made two free throws after A.J. Hoggard fouled him on a 3-point shot. After Michigan State’s point guard missed a 3-point shot, T.J. Bickerstaff made a tying jumper with 30 seconds left and Walker couldn’t connect on a jumper just before the buzzer.
Bickerstaff scored 21 points in James Madison’s first win against a ranked team since a victory over No. 19 California on Dec. 29, 1992, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Dukes improved to 2-32 against ranked teams.
James Madison, looking and playing with a lot of confidence, never backed down against a team expected to contend for a national championship.
The Spartans trailed 25-12 with six-plus minutes left in the first half and pulled within four points at halftime, getting fired up about trash-talking from the visitors.
Jaden Akins gave Michigan State its first lead with 15:16 remaining, making a shot after missing six attempts from the field.
Walker did his part, but freshman reserve Coen Carr, with 14 points, was his only teammate in double figures.
Bickerstaff is a Boston College transfer and nephew of Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
T.J. Bickerstaff throws down a dunk after Terrence Edwards Jr.’s beautiful pass to extend JMU’s lead vs. Michigan State
James Madison entered the game as a huge betting underdog, as Michigan State was a 16.5-point favorite. The Dukes were +1150 on the moneyline, which means if you bet $10 on James Madison to win tonight, you would’ve pocketed a cool $125 total.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Terrence Edwards
James Madison Dukes
College Basketball
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