Dukes Fall in Double Overtime at Texas State

Friday, February 28

San Marcos, Texas

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

James Madison University

20-11,13-5Sun Belt

102

Texas State

16-15,9-9Sun Belt

OT 1

OT 2

James Madison

Texas St.

102

2/28/2025 11:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

SAN MARCOS, Texas – James Madison men's basketball fell in double overtime to Texas State, 102-93, on Friday night at Strahan Arena to close the regular season.

With the loss, JMU finishes the regular season with a record of 20-11 and 13-5 in Sun Belt play, clinching a share of the 2025 Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship. Texas State improved to 16-15 and 9-9 in league action.

Due to wins by South Alabama, Arkansas State, and Troy, the Dukes finished in a four-way tie for first place in the conference but will be the No. 2 seed in the 2025 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship due to head-to-head wins over A-State and Troy.

Elijah Hutchins-Everett led the Dukes with 22 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Mark Freeman and Bryce Lindsay recorded 19 points each, while Eddie Ricks III fiished with 10 rebounds along with eight points.

Tylan Pope led Texas State in scoring, finishing with 23 points while adding six rebounds. Coleton Benson registered 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench, and Mark Drone added 18 of his own.

How It Happened
First Half: James Madison 41, Texas State 33

JMU scored the first nine points of the game to take a 9-0 lead at the 16:09 mark.
The Dukes kept Texas State at arms-length and grew the lead to 10 (24-14) on a pair of free throws from Eddie Ricks III. JMU then took its biggest lead of the half at 33-20 on two more free throws, this time from Justin Taylor.
A three from Lindsay put the Dukes up by 10 (41-31) with 18 seconds left, but a jumper from Joshua O'Garro made the score 41-33 at the break.
JMU made 12-of-14 (.857) of its free throws in the opening 20.

Second Half

Texas State began the second frame on an 8-0 run, taking advantage of six straight missed shots from JMU to tie the game at 41 with 15:37 to go.
The Bobcats kept pace with the Dukes the next several minutes, tying the game twice more. JMU took advantage of offensive boards in the second half to stay ahead, holding a slim 60-57 lead with 8:27 to go.
The Bobcats then made six consecutive shots from the floor and took a two-point lead with just under four minutes to play at 70-68
A Freeman triple with 1:25 left gave JMU a 75-72 lead, but JMU was held without a field goal for the rest of regulation as Texas State hit the boards, allowing a Drone jumper to give the Bobcats a two-point lead before free-throws from Lindsay on the following possession sent the game into overtime.

Overtime

Lindsay scored five and helped JMU to an 86-81 lead with 1:39 to go, but the Dukes were once again held without a field goal to the finish off the first overtime.
Freeman split a pair of free throws with 1.2 left to send the game to double overtime tied at 87.

Second Overtime

JMU shot just 3-of-11 from the floor in the fourth frame, missing its first six shots while the Bobcats shot 5-of-6, all found in the paint and built their largest lead of the contest at 100-89 with 31 ticks left to ultimately pull away for the win.

Game Notes

James Madison has clinched the No. 2 seed in the 2025 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship in Pensacola, Fla.
Hutchins-Everett recorded his 21st game in double figures this season.
JMU will play next in the Sun Belt Championship semifinals on Sunday, March 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT) inside the Pensacola Bay Center.