Dukes ground Blackbirds

DAYTON, Ohio – After winning the program’s first NCAA tournament game in 30 years, James Madison sounds as if it’s not done.

A.J. Davis, who stepped in as a starter because leading scorer Rayshawn Goins was suspended for a half, led the way with 20 points as the Dukes beat LIU Brooklyn 68-55 on Wednesday night in the First Four.

Immediately, their thoughts turned to top-seeded Indiana (27-6), who they’ll play on the same Dayton Arena court on Friday night.

“They’re Indiana,” defensive stalwart Andre Nation said. “We know about them. We see them on the TV all the time. It’s not nothing new.”

He’s not the only Duke who was undaunted.

“We have some older guys. They’re typically pretty unafraid of any of the challenges we face,” coach Matt Brady said.

JMU was without suspended starter Goins for the first half but built a big lead. After the Blackbirds (20-14) battled back to take a brief lead, the Dukes surged again to win going away by closing the game on a 10-2 run.