By Siera Jones

NSU men’s basketball reclaimed their lead late in the second period to top James Madison University Saturday, Nov. 28. With the help of standout performances from Devante Carter and J.J. Matthews, the Spartans competed closely with JMU before closing the final period with a 10 point lead.

After contributions from Mustafa Lawrence, Tyrese Jenkins, and Carter, halfway through the first period the Spartans held an 11 point lead. 10 points scored by Matt Lewis along with efforts from Julien Wooden and Vado Morse allowed the Dukes to close the gap; forcing an intense back-and-forth contest for the remainder of the period.

Despite receiving a class A technical foul, Carter led the Spartans in scoring for the 1st period, and tallied 11 total points at the half. Lawrence followed with 9 points in the 1st period.

After several lead changes, JMU claimed a 38-35 lead at the close of the 1st period. Lewis tallied nearly half of the Duke’s points with a total of 15.

After 9 lead changes in the second period, a pair of three-pointers from Kashaun Hicks and Daryl Anderson secured the lead for NSU with 3 minutes remaining in the final period. Eight made free throws from Matthews, two free throws made by Kyonze Chavis, and another 3-pointer by Hicks allowed the Spartans to claim an 83-73 victory.

In his debut for the Spartans, Matthews collected a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and was 12-of-14 from the free throw line. Respectively, Carter tallied 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

The Spartans will go on to play Radford University in their second consecutive away game Saturday night at 7 p.m.