Game 18
Opponent:Â App State
Date:Â Thurs., January 15
Tipoff:Â 6:30Â pm (eastern)
Location:Â Boone, N.C.Â
Arena:Â Holmes Convocation Center
Watch:Â ESPN+
Radio:Â WSVA 92.1 FM | 550 AM
DUKES HIT THE ROAD TO TAKE ON APP STATE THURSDAY
- James Madison men's basketball is set to take on the App State Mountaineers on Thursday, Jan. 15 in Boone, N.C. at the Holmes Convocation Center.
- The Dukes are coming off a 19-point comeback win versus Old Dominion on Saturday, shooting 68 percent (17-of-25) from the floor in the second half to come away with the 70-69 win.
- App State enters this contest with a 10-8 record, including a 3-3 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. The Mountaineers split a pair of road games last week, defeating Georgia State 52-50 and falling to Coastal Carolina 67-62.Â
LAST TIME OUT
- Trailing by as many as 19 (44-25) late in the first half, James Madison men's basketball stormed back for a 70-69 win over the Old Dominion Monarchs on Saturday afternoon in front of a season-high 5,585 fans at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.
- JMU (9-8, 2-3 Sun Belt) matched its largest comeback since the 2023-24 season, using a Gabe Newhof bucket with two seconds left to take the lead and hold on for the win. Old Dominion fell to 5-13 overall and 2-4 in league play with the loss.
- Leading the scoring for JMU was Justin McBride, who finished with 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting and a perfect 6-of-6 in the second half.
- Along with McBride, Newhof finished a perfect 7-of-7 from the field in the second half as the Dukes shot 68 percent (17-25) from the floor to mount the comeback
- Gabe Newhof (7-of-7) and Justin McBride (6-of-6) finished perfect from the field in the second half of Saturday's win against ODU - combining for 31 points and helping the Dukes shoot 68 percent (17-of-25) from the floor and come back for the win.Â
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NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 19: JMU erased a 19-point deficit against Old Dominion on Saturday, trailing 44-25 late in the first half and coming away with a 70-69 win. Gabe Newhof gave the Dukes a 70-69 lead with two seconds left, and JMU got a defensive stop on the other end to seal the victory. JMU's 19-point comeback victory over the Monarchs is tied for the second-largest comeback victory for the Dukes in the past five seasons and largest come-from-behind win under Preston Spradlin.
- 31: Justin McBride (17) and Gabe Newhof (14) combined for 31 points and finished a perfect 13-of-13 in the second half of Saturday's game against ODU to fuel the comeback. Newhof hit a jumper with two seconds remaining, capping off a 9-0 run for the Dukes in the closing minutes.
- 2: JMU finished with two made threes in Saturday's game against ODU, the fewest under Preston Spradlin and also the fewest since making two at Southern Miss on Jan. 6, 2024. It marked the first time JMU has made two threes or less in a win since making one at UNC-Wilmington on Jan. 2, 2020.Â
ON THE AIRWAVES
- Thursday's game at App State will stream on ESPN+ with David Jackson (PxP), John Reisterer (Color) and Bob Dillner (Sideline).
- The game can also be heard on WSVA 92.1 FM | 550 AM with Dave Riggert. Coverage will begin 30 minutes prior to tip.Â
LAST TIME VS. APP STATE
- Myles Tate (20) and Dior Conners (18) combined for 38 points to lead App State past James Madison men's basketball, 58-50, inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center on Saturday afternoon
- After JMU (10-9, 3-4 SBC) jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the opening minutes, App State (11-7, 5-2 SBC) quickly retook the lead and did not look back, holding the Dukes to 50 points and 18-of-51 (.353) from the field.
- Bryce Lindsay paced the Dukes' offense with 13 points – including 10 in the second half – and added four rebounds. Mark Freeman contributed 10 points and four assists, while AJ Smith led the Dukes with 10 rebounds.
SCOUTING APP STATE
- App State enters this contest 10-8 with a 3-3 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. The Mountaineers are led by Head Coach Dustin Kerns, who is in his seventh season at the helm.
- Kasen Jennings leads App State in scoring, averaging 14.2 points per game. Alonzo Dodd (12.3) and Luke Wilson (10.7) also put up double figures for the Mountaineers.
- App State allows offensive rebounds on just 24 percent of possessions, which leads the Sun Belt Conference.
- App State ranks dead last in the country (365th) in free throw percentage, making just 61.3 percent of its shots from the charity stripe.
- The Mountaineers rank ninth in the Sun Belt in two-point (49.3) and three-point (31.3) percentage.Â