Men’s Hoops Comes Up Short at No. 18 Arkansas

Monday, December 29

Fayetteville, Ark.

8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT)

James Madison University

7-7,0-2Sun Belt

103

Arkansas

10-3,0-0SEC

James Madison

Arkansas

103

12/29/2025 11:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A 16-0 first-half run was enough for No. 18 Arkansas to down James Madison, 103-74, on Monday evening in front of a sellout crowd of 19, 200 at Bud Walton Arena.

No. 18 Arkansas (10-3) led 16-12 before a 16-0 run gave the Razorbacks more than enough to cruise to the victory, leading by as many as 33.

Bradley Douglas led JMU (7-7) with 19 points and four assists, but hot-shooting Arkansas finished 54.8 percent from the floor and drained a season-high 15 threes to cruise for the victory.

Justin McBride recorded 13 points and five boards, while Paul Jones III notched a season-best nine points. Eddie Ricks III had six rebounds, and Cliff Davis hit three 3-pointers and finished with nine points.

Meleek Thomas led the Razorbacks with a career-high 28 points, knocking down six triples and finishing 8-of-16 from the floor. Darius Acuff Jr. (17), D.J. Wagner (14), and Malique Ewin (11) also had 10 or more for Arkansas.

How It Happened
First Half: Arkansas 48, JMU 28

A 16-0 run for Arkansas turned a 16-12 lead into a 30-12 advantage with 8:07 left.
The Razorbacks ballooned their lead to 48-28 at the break, shooting 50 percent (17-of-34) from the floor.

Second Half:

The Dukes hit nine of their first 14 shots from the floor in the second half, cutting Arkansas' lead to 70-55 with just under 12 minutes remaining,
The Razorbacks used a 7-0 run to open a 79-56 lead - their largest of the contest to that point – and cruised the rest of the way for the win.

Game Notes

Douglas finished with 19 points, his 10th time this season finishing with 10 or more. Through 13 games, the graduate student is averaging 14.9 points.
McBride finished with 10 or more points for the 13th time in 14 games, recording 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

Up Next
JMU resumes Sun Belt Conference play with a matchup at Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Ark., on Jan. 3, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT). The game will stream on ESPN+.