Mountaineers Blaze Past JMU with Red-Hot Shooting

BOONE, N.C. – App State executed a 26-4 surge that spanned the halves to seize control and defeated James Madison, 86-66, in Sun Belt Men’s Basketball on Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Convocation Center.
 
JMU (9-8, 2-3 SBC) shooting was only 34.8 percent from the field and committed 13 turnovers, whereas App State (9-7, 3-2 SBC) had a season-excellent (vs. DI) 53.8 percent shooting from the field and 10-of-17 (.588) from beyond the arc.
 
Elijah Hutchins-Everett was the top scorer for JMU with 19 points and nine rebounds. AJ Smith contributed 13 points – 11 in the second half – alongside six rebounds. The Dukes as a collective shot just 6-of-24 (.250) from three-point range and permitted a season-high 86 points.
 
The scoring for the Mountaineers was led by the trio of CJ Huntley (21), Myles Tate (21), and Jalil Beaubrun (16) – with Huntley additionally grabbing a team-best eight rebounds. App State also registered 14 assists on 28 successful field goals, with Tate leading the way (7). 
 
How It Transpired
First Half: App State 49, James Madison 30

• Hutchins-Everett started the game scoring the initial seven points for JMU, although App State maintained a narrow 8-7 advantage at the first media timeout.
• A three-pointer from Bryce Lindsay gave the Dukes a 15-12 lead, but the Mountaineers netted 14 of the next 20 points to take a five-point lead (26-21) with 7:34 remaining.
• A three from Freeman trimmed the App State lead to three (31-28), but the Mountaineers ended the half on an 18-2 run, leading 49-30 at the break.

 
Second Half: App State 86, James Madison 66

• App State commenced with five swift points out of halftime and expanded its lead to 57-32 with 16:32 remaining in the game, concluding a 26-4 run that crossed the halves.
• The Dukes could not cut the deficit to less than 18 the rest of the game, falling to 0-6 in road games this season.

 
Game Insights

• App State’s 49 first-half points represent the highest total conceded by JMU this season.
• The Dukes fell to 0-6 in actual road contests this season and 3-8 versus App State.
• JMU recorded 10 turnovers in the first half, marking the second-highest total in a first half this season.
• Mark Freeman achieved 10 points, elevating his career total to 1,501. As of Jan. 11, he is one of five active Division I players boasting 1,500 career points and 500 assists.
• App State executed a 14-0 run to stretch the lead from 38-30 to 52-30 in under five minutes of game time. This marks the fourth run of 10-0 or greater the Dukes have allowed this season.
• Freeman’s 10-point performance marked his 70th career game of double-digit scoring.