Dukes Move Past Jax State, 71-65

Saturday, November 23

Daytona Beach, Fla.

3:30 p.m.

James Madison University

4-3,0-0Sun Belt

Jax State

4-3,0-0CUSA

James Madison

Jacksonville St.

11/23/2024 6:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Junior Xavier Brown scored 18 points and tied a career-high five made three-pointers to lead James Madison men's basketball past Jax State, 71-65, on Saturday afternoon at the Boardwalk Battle inside the Ocean Center.

After trailing for the first five minutes, JMU (4-3) led by as many as 12 and kept Jax State (4-3) at arms-length, not letting the Gamecocks get within five points at any point. The Dukes finished in third place at the Boardwalk Battle, finishing with a season-low eight turnovers and scoring 23 points off 11 Gamecock miscues.

Along with Brown's 18 points, Elijah Hutchins-Everett recorded 17 points and six rebounds while Mark Freeman had 16 points and three assists. Bryce Lindsay added 11 points off the bench, knocking down three triples.

Jaron Pierre Jr. led Jax State with 24 points, while Mason Nicholson chipped in 15 points and led the Gamecocks with nine rebounds.

How It Happened
First Half: James Madison 40, Jax State 29

JMU missed its first four attempts from the field before a bucket from Hutchins-Everett got the Dukes on the board just over three minutes in.
A Brown triple then sparked an 11-5 run as the Dukes took a 13-8 lead at the 12:30 mark of the first.
Jax State countered with a 12-8 run to cut the JMU lead to one (21-20) with just over six minutes left in the first.
JMU would maintain the advantage and stretch its lead to ten at 35-25, capped off by a Freeman triple with 2:11 to play.
A Lindsay triple at the buzzer gave the Dukes their eighth for the game – their most in a first half this season – and gave JMU its largest lead (40-29) going into halftime.

Second Half: Jax State 36, James Madison 31

Jax State opened the second on an 11-5 run to cut it to five at 45-40 with 16:01 to play.
Two scoreless minutes for both teams would follow before two trips to the foul line from Smith and Lindsay put the lead back up to nine at the 13:24 mark.
The two squads exchanged baskets for the next few minutes, and JMU held a 56-46 advantage with just over nine minutes to play. The Dukes continued to lead in double figures until just inside seven minutes.
Jax State cut it to five at 61-56 with 3:19 to play, but another Brown triple would stretch the lead back to eight.
The Dukes maintained the advantage down the stretch, converting on free throws to take away the win.

Game Notes

Xavier Brown tied his career-high in made three-pointers, knocking down 5-of-9 from behind the arc. He also recorded four steals and now has 17 this season (2.4/game).
The Dukes made a season-high eight 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 11 made triples, the fifth time recording 10 or more this season.
Bryce Lindsay scored 11 points off the bench, his third straight game in double figures and fourth overall. Coming into today's game, he was one of 12 players averaging 15 points or more off the bench.
AJ Smith corralled nine rebounds for the second consecutive contest and leads the Dukes with 6.9 rebounds per game this season.

Up Next
JMU returns home for a Black Friday showdown with George Mason on Friday, Nov. 29. Opening tip from inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center is set for 4 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+ and on the Varsity Network App.