Dukes Romp in Season Opener:
Strickland, Outtz lead JMU to 86-62 win over Morgan State

- Mike Kolakoski
The Breeze

"I was happy to see how the guys responded," Coach Sherman Dillard said. "When your offense isn't working, a good, solid defense can sometimes ignite a team. I think that was the case tonight. We responded well."

Altthough the Dukes picked it up, JMU's offense struggled out of the gate Friday night. Both teams failed to score during the first three minutes of the game. Hpwever, junior center Rob Strickland set the tone of the game defensively by blocking Morgan State's first shot and proceeding to chalk up five blocks and five rebounds on the night.

"We knew we had to come out hard out of the blocks," Strickland said. "I just wanted to play strong and establish a presence in the paint."

After Dillard decided to start junior transfer guard Jabari Outtz, senior guard Ned Felton came in off the bench and provided JMU with a team-leading nine assists and an energetic spark. With three minutes left in the half, Felton found senior forward Eugene Atkinson, who gave JMU the lead at 24-23 and ignited an 18-0 run.

"Ned Felton did an outstanding job of getting us going early by penetrating and getting into the gaps of the [MSU] zone," Dillard said. "He didn't score much, but he go a lot of assists."

With Felton at the point, Dillard opted to move Outtz to the wing. JMU closed out the first half with a commanding 40-23 lead.

"We just turned it up defensively, and that led to easy baskets," Atkinson said. "We had two quick defenders out there [Outtz and Felton] to get out in the lanes and, with the big guys in teh back helping out, it led to a big run."

Outtz said, "I love being on the court with Ned [Felton]. I didn't have to bring the ball up and could focus on other things. Ned had nine assists and played great. I think we have the best guards in the league. We just have to go out there and prove it."

Freshman forward Tim Lyle's strong debut in the paint complimented JMU's deep backcourt with 10 points and 5 rebounds in 24 minutes. Lyle's play allowed Dillard to rest Strickland without losing anything in the paint.

"I thought Tim [Lyle] had a terrific game for us," Dillard said. "He played the whole game without a turnover. I really feel good about Tim right now, and I'm more excited about his future. I really believe that that young man has a chance to be a fine player for us."

JMU's 18-point run at the end of the first half of the game proved to be too much for Morgan State.

"When they went on that run, our intensity fell off the table and their's increased," Morgan State head coach Chris Fuller said. "It's very hard to beat a good team when you're down 17 points at halftime."

Morgan State cut JMU's lead to eight points during the opening minutes of the second half. However, the Dukes picked up the intensity, increased the lead and cruised to a 24-point victory.

"I thought when we cut it to eight points in the second half that we were back in the game," Fuller said. "But [JMU] kept looking for each other and they picked up the intensity again. That's the sign of a team that wants to play together."

The Dukes travel to North Carolina A&T on Wednesday night to battle the Aggies in a 7 p.m. game.

JMU will play Rutgers University at the Convocation Center this Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

 

This arrticle appeared in JMU's The Breeze, 11.16.98