James Madison Dukes (9-7, 2-2 SBC) at App State Mountaineers (8-7, 2-2 SBC)
Jan. 11, 2025 – 1 p.m. ET
Boone, N.C. – Holmes Convocation Center
Game Links
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JMUSports.com · @JMUMBasketball · #GoDukes
MEN’S HOOPS CONTINUES ROAD TRIP AT APP STATE
- After an 80-78 defeat against Marshall on Thursday, James Madison men’s basketball is set to face App State on Saturday, January 11 at 1 p.m. (ET) to wrap up its two-game road journey.
- This matchup will be streamed on ESPN+ with David Jackson (PxP) and John Reisterer (color), and on WSVA 92.1 FM | 550 AM via the Varsity Network App with Dave Riggert, who will begin coverage at 12:30 p.m. (ET).
- App State comes into this match with an 8-7 record after a commanding 74-51 victory over Coastal Carolina on Wednesday, January 8.
- The Dukes remain without a win on the road (0-5), whereas App State enjoys a 6-2 record at home this season. The Mountaineers will conclude a four-game homestand against JMU on Saturday.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- James Madison and App State have squared off 10 times, with the Mountaineers leading the series 7-3.
- In the previous season, App State dealt JMU two of its three conference defeats while securing a Sun Belt regular season title. The Mountaineers handed the Dukes their sole home loss of the 2023-24 season (59-55) on Jan. 13, 2024, and conquered JMU again two weeks later (82-76) on Jan. 27.
- Since joining the Sun Belt prior to the 2022-23 season, the Dukes have recorded a 1-3 record against the Mountaineers, including a 1-1 tally in Boone.
- Historically, JMU has only won 1 out of 5 road games against App State, with their lone victory occurring on Feb. 4, 2023 (63-57).
JMU-App State: Last Five Encounters
January 27, 2024 (Boone, N.C.), L, 76-82
January 13, 2024 (Harrisonburg, Va.), L, 55-59
February 4, 2023 (Boone, N.C.), W, 63-57
January 7, 2023 (Harrisonburg, Va.), L, 62-71
November 22, 2017 (Harrisonburg, Va.), W, 105-99 (2OT)
LAST TIME OUT
- Redshirt senior Mark Freeman netted 31 points, leading all scorers, but James Madison men’s basketball succumbed to a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle against Marshall, 80-78, on Thursday night at the Cam Henderson Center.
- After trailing for much of the contest, JMU (9-7, 2-2 SBC) managed to tie the game multiple times late and even gained a 77-76 advantage with 20 seconds left, but Marshall (9-8, 2-2 SBC) scored on its final two possessions to secure the win.
- The Thundering Herd tied their season record with 13 three-pointers—seven of which were made by Jalen Speer, who ended with 27 points and a flawless 7-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
- Freeman’s 31 points marked the fifth time in his career he has scored at least 30 points and the second time in three games.
- Xavier Brown contributed 12 points and achieved a season-high seven rebounds, while Elijah Hutchins-Everett finished with 11 points and six rebounds, surpassing the 1,000 career points mark.
ABOUT APP STATE
- App State currently holds an 8-7 record (2-2 SBC), coming off a 74-51 victory over Coastal Carolina at home on Wednesday. Last week, the Mountaineers fell to Troy, 69-61, but rallied to beat Texas State 72-61, breaking a four-game losing streak before their win over the Chanticleers. They also faced a loss at Louisiana on Dec. 21.
- Selected to finish sixth in the Preseason Sun Belt Coaches Poll, graduate forward CJ Huntley (second) and senior guard Myles Tate (third) earned Preseason All-Sun Belt honors. As of Jan. 10, Tate is leading all Mountaineers in scoring with an average of 15.1 points per game, while Huntley follows closely with 14.3 points per game. Huntley recently recorded 21 points against Coastal last Wednesday.
- In league matchups, the Mountaineers rank 12th in scoring offense (67.3 ppg) but are tied for second in scoring defense (62.3 ppg).
- Despite struggling at the free-throw line, ranking last in the Sun Belt with a 64.4% success rate, the Mountaineers sit third in the league in field goal percentage (45.3), three-point shooting percentage (35.9), and opposing field goal percentage (38.8), managing to limit opponents to an impressive 28.5% shooting from long range.
- This season, App State’s longest winning streak has reached four games, occurring from Nov. 19-29 with victories against Queens, William and Mary, Sam Houston, and Colgate. Thus far, they have faced only one power four opponent, Wisconsin, suffering a defeat of 87-56 on Nov. 10.
- After the matchup with JMU, App State will embark on a four-game road stretch within the Sun Belt, facing Old Dominion, JMU, Arkansas State, and ULM before returning home to host Old Dominion in Boone on Jan. 29.
SWAGG POURING IN THE POINTS
- Redshirt senior guard Mark Freeman registered a season-high 31 points against Marshall on Thursday, marking his second 30-point game within a week and the fifth of his career. In Sun Belt contests, Freeman is tied with Taryn Todd (Arkansas State) for scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game.
- Freeman’s 31-point output against Marshall now brings his career total to 1,491—only nine points shy of the 1,500 milestone. As of Jan. 10, there are merely four active NCAA Division I players who have achieved 1,500 points and 500 assists: Marcus Williams (San Francisco), Steven Ashworth (Creighton), Dayvion McKnight (Xavier), and Ace Baldwin Jr. (Penn State).
- The 30-point game against Southern Miss, achieved on just 16 attempts, stands as the third-best by a JMU player since the Atlantic Union Bank Center opened prior to the 2020-21 season, following Vado Morse (32) and Julien Wooden (31).
- In the course of 16 games in 2024-25, Freeman leads JMU in scoring (13.2 ppg), assists (56) and assists per game (3.6). On Jan. 4 against Arkansas State, he secured the 500th assist of his career, now being one of 19 active Division I players with 500 or more assists.
RETURNING TO FORM
- Senior center Elijah Hutchins-Everett has been a consistent scorer for JMU this season, averaging 11.6 points per game and reaching double figures in all but three contests.
- A native of Orange, N.J., he began his career at Austin Peay for his first two seasons, where he earned the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Player of the Year accolade. After a season where he averaged only 3.5 points per game at Seton Hall, he has returned to his previous form for the Dukes, averaging 11.6 points this season.
- Hutchins-Everett achieved the milestone of 1,000 career points on Thursday against Marshall, finishing the match with 11 points and six rebounds, shooting 3-of-6 from the field.
- In addition to his scoring abilities, Hutchins-Everett also leads JMU in free-throw percentage, boasting an 80.4% success rate.