(STATS) -- Any deficit in the FCS playoffs was going to trouble unbeaten Sam Houston State considering it had trailed against only one opponent all season -- for a mere 3 minutes, 14 seconds of first-quarter clock.So the Bearkats werent prepared for the kind of lead James Madison built against them Friday night.No team would be.Fourth-seeded James Madison scored early and often while eliminating the fifth-seeded Bearkats 65-7 in the national quarterfinals at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia.James Madison (12-1), which won the CAA Football title under first-year coach Mike Houston, advances to the FCS semifinals for the third time in program history. It will play next weekend against the winner of Saturdays matchup between No. 8 seed South Dakota State and No. 1 seed North Dakota State. The Dukes previously reached the semis in their 2004 national title season and in 2008.Their point total was the sixth-highest in playoff history and the winning margin was the second-biggest to Montanas 70-7 win over Troy in the 1996 semifinals.While game temperatures were in the mid-20s, and not to the liking of the visitors from Texas, James Madison was red-hot in the teams first-ever meeting, taking a 21-0 lead in just over 11 minutes of action and extending it to 35-0 within the first five minutes of the second quarter.Sam Houston (12-1), top-ranked in the STATS FCS Top 25 to end the regular season, hardly resembled the team that entered the game No. 1 in the FCS in both points and yards per game. Jeremiah Briscoe, who had thrown for 4,459 yards and an FCS single-season record 57 touchdown passes, completed only 13 of 44 pass attempts for a season-low 143 yards, throwing two interceptions (Raven Greene and Curtis Oliver) in the third quarter. The junior also was called for intentional grounding in his end zone, resulting in a safety.We had a great week of practice, there was no doubt in my mind that we were going to come out and play well tonight, Houston said. Defensively, that was as impressive of a performance Ive seen in a long time. It speaks to the improvement of the secondary of the past several months. I thought we clicked in all phases -- offensively, defensively and special teams. Very proud of the kids and coaches.We got beat by a really good football team that I thought played at a very high level, Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler said. We feed off our offense and our point production has been off the charts. Jeremiah really struggled. He didnt take a single snap the entire week of practice (because of an elbow injury). We didnt know if he was going to play until game time. His elbow, he injured in last weeks game, so I thought our timing was off. I thought he threw the ball OK, but the timing was off. Its a shame, but we got beat in all three phases.JMU quarterback Bryan Schor threw for 236 of his 251 yards in the first half, with both a touchdown pass and run. Khalid Abdullah rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns, and Trai Sharp gained 144 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as part of the Dukes 607 total yards.In the first quarter, Abdullah capped an early drive in which he gained 52 rushing yards by scoring from 14 yards out. Schor then completed a 64-yard pass to Domo Taylor to set up his 1-yard touchdown run. After a Sam Houston possession quickly stalled, Rashard Davis weaved his way for a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown -- his fourth of the season.A lot of people may overlook special teams, but its one of the biggest on the field, Davis said. We look at special teams for momentum-boosters and we feed off of them when big plays happen. They play a key role in big games like this. It was the first time Sam Houston hadnt scored in the first quarter since falling to Jacksonville State in last years playoff semifinals. It only got worse when the Dukes special teams delivered again early in the second quarter as Robert Carter Jr. blocked a punt and freshman Bryce Maginley scooped up the ball for a 20-yard touchdown return.On their next drive, Schor hit tight end Jonathan Kloosterman for a 10-yard touchdown pass, making it 35-0 with 10:40 remaining in the second quarter.It was exactly what Sam Houston had been doing to many opponents in the first half of games. The Southland Conference champion had been seeking to reach the national semifinals for the fifth time in six seasons.James Madison hasnt lost to an FCS opponent, only to ACC member North Carolina. 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Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts.CHICAGO -- Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers learned from last months blowout loss to Chicago.They turned that knowledge into their own road win Monday night.Lillard had 30 points and seven assists, CJ McCollum scored 24 and the Trail Blazers beat the Bulls 112-110 for their third consecutive victory.Portland had won five of six before Chicago visited the Moda Center on Nov. 15 and rolled to a 113-88 win. That loss started the Blazers on a bit of a slide, but they are rounding into form again.I think the game in Portland helped us prepare for what kind of game it was going to be, Lillard said. We saw how physical they were. They compete on both ends of the floor. ... We just came in with the right mindset, knowing what to expect.Allen Crabbe added 17 points for Portland, which opened a five-game trip with its fourth win in five games. Maurice Harkless had 11 and Evan Turner finished with 10, providing a nice boost in the fourth quarter.Im really pleased the way we responded after the way they beat us the first time, Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said.Dwyane Wade scored 34 points for the Bulls, and Jimmy Butler finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Robin Lopez had seven points and a season-high 14 rebounds.Chicago played without point guard Rajon Rondo, suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the team. There was no public indication from the Bulls on what triggered Rondos suspension. He is expected to return Tuesday night in Detroit.Hes obviously very important with what we do in this building, coach Fred Hoiberg said. Hes a guy that really gets us out and establishes the tempo for our team, especially in the fourth quarter. Hes important for what we do, but thats not the reason we lost the game.Portland trailed 93-92 before Ed Davis converted a driving layup with 8:19 left, sparking an 11-0 run for the Trail Blazers. Turner made three straight jumpers and Lillard connected from long range to make it 103-93 with 5:55 left.Chicago closed to 108-105 on Nikola Mirotics two foul shots with 1:56 remaining, but Lillard made four free throws in the final seconds to help Portland hold on.We used a lot of energy coming back in the thirdd quarter and then from there we didnt make enough shots, Wade said.ddddddddddddMirotic finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for the Bulls, who have dropped three of four. Isaiah Canaan had 10 points.Lillard scored 17 to help Portland to a 65-57 halftime lead. The Trail Blazers shot 55 percent in the first half, but the Bulls turned it up on defense to get back in the game in the third quarter.Mirotic capped an 18-4 run with two foul shots, giving Chicago a 75-70 lead with 5:44 left. The Bulls had an 87-83 advantage before McCollum made a 3-pointer in the final second of the period, trimming the lead to one heading into the final quarter.AMINUS RETURNPortland forward Al-Farouq Aminu had three points in 17 minutes in his return to the lineup after being sidelined by a left calf injury. Aminu started the first eight games of the season before he got hurt Nov. 8 against Phoenix.You could tell he had a little rust, but it was good to see him back on the court, Stotts said.TIP-INSTrail Blazers: C Mason Plumlee had 10 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. ... Portland went 13 for 18 from the free throw line, compared to 33 of 38 for Chicago.Bulls: Wade got his fourth assist in the fourth quarter to reach 5,000 for his career. ... F Doug McDermott practiced with the Windy City Bulls after he was assigned to the D-League for conditioning. McDermott hasnt played since Nov. 11 due to a concussion. Hopefully he has another good day tomorrow and well see what happens with Thursday, Hoiberg said. ... G Michael Carter-Williams, sidelined since Oct. 31 with left wrist and left knee injuries, also could head to the D-League soon. Hoiberg said he thinks Carter-Williams is going to be re-evaluated Tuesday.UP NEXTTrail Blazers: Visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. Portland is 1-4 in Milwaukee over the past five seasons.Bulls: Visit Detroit on Tuesday night for their first game of the season against the Pistons. Chicago dropped three of four to Detroit last season.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '