HARRISONBURG, Va. – The App State men's basketball team's season-long seven-game winning streak ended on Saturday, as it fell 69-58 to James Madison in Harrisonburg. App State's sluggish start and a 12-2 second-half JMU run helped the Dukes close out a win on their home floor.
Despite the outcome, the Mountaineers (18-10, 10-5 SBC) saw a huge performance from
Luke Wilson, who posted 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Wilson helped steady App State in the first half with nine points and nine rebounds, which helped keep App State in the game early when James Madison (14-13, 6-8 SBC) threatened to pull away early.
James Madison played one of its best defensive games of the season against App State, as the Mountaineers' 58 points were the second-fewest James Madison has allowed to a Division I opponent all season. James Madison's defense proved especially potent during its 12-2 second-half run, which allowed it to take control late in the game, as App State went 1-5 with a turnover during this stretch.
How it Happened
James Madison quickly raced ahead by seven points before App State struck the scoreboard with a
Jalen Tot 3-pointer at the 16:55 mark of the first half.
Alonzo Dodd gave the Mountaineers their first lead with a layup with 13:39 to play in the opening half, but the Dukes went back ahead thanks to a tip-in layup by Justin McBride as play hit the under-12 media timeout.
Wilson helped push App State back ahead with a layup out of the break, but James Madison scored the next five points to take a five-point lead with seven minutes to play in the half. The Dukes quickly sprinted out to a six-point lead by the final media timeout despite App State seeing baskets from Dodd and Wilson during the stretch.
The Dukes then went ahead by a first-half high eight points after Bradley Douglas connected on a 3-pointer after the under-four timeout. App State worked to close the gap with baskets by Wilson and
Kasen Jennings, but JMU continued its strong first half after Douglas converted on an and-one chance with 49 seconds to play to go ahead by seven. Dodd closed the half with two free throws, but the Dukes took a five-point lead into the halftime locker room.
A pair of free throws and a
Michael Marcus Jr. 3-pointer closed the Mountaineers' deficit down to just two points after only a minute of play in the second half. Seeing the score as close as it had been since it was 16-14, James Madison responded by scoring two straight 3-pointers to jump ahead by eight with 17:23 to play in the game.
App State eventually closed the gap back down to four after Wilson cemented his double-double with a layup in the paint, but another James Madison 3-pointer sent it back ahead by seven by the first media break.
Free throws by Dodd and Marcus Jr. trimmed App State's deficit back down to six with 14:41 to play in the second half, but James Madison responded with a commanding 12-2 run to soar ahead by 16 by the 10-minute mark. The Mountaineers worked to cut into their largest deficit of the game with a 3-pointer by Tot, but the Dukes took control down the stretch after Eli Wilborn connected on a layup in the paint to push them to a 15-point lead with five minutes to go.
Although the Mountaineers cut James Madison's lead down to 10 thanks to a Tot 3-pointer, the Dukes continued their hot-shooting night with a second-chance jumper and a quartet of free throws to maintain a 14-point lead by the two-minute mark.
A Dodd 3-pointer followed by a Jennings 3-pointer helped give App State a fighting chance, but James Madison's strong defense helped it pull out a convincing win over the Mountaineers. The loss was App State's first since Jan. 17.
Top Performers
Wilson's 18-point, 16-rebound double-double paced App State on Saturday, as he tallied his most points since scoring 19 at Marshall on Jan. 3. Wilson's 16 rebounds also tied
Andrin Njock's mark for the most in a game by a Mountaineer this season. Dodd provided 18 points, his sixth straight double-digit point game, dished out a team-best three assists and recorded a block and a steal. Tot finished with nine points and buried a team-high three 3-pointers.
Up Next
App State will open its final homestand of the season on Thursday by playing host to the Marshall Thundering Herd at the Holmes Center. Tipoff from Boone is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
