By David Rogers. HARRISONBURG, Va. — Host James Madison rallied late in the first half on Jan. 18, going on a 12-2 run to tie the men’s basketball game vs. App State at intermission, 20-20, but the Mountaineers jumped out to the lead after the break and never let it go. The Boone-based visitors completed the season sweep of the Dukes, 58-50, in front of 4,685 at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.
Although the game evolved as a defensive battle, redshirt senior guard Myles Tate poured in a game-high 20 points, the eighth game during the 2024-25 season in which he has scored 20 or more points. Fellow guard Dior Connors hit it big from long distance, successful on six of eight attempts from behind the 3-point arc.
James Madison’s self-inflicted wounds, also known as “turnovers,” played a part in the outcome. Although their 13 TOs were only two more than the 11 committed by the Mountaineers, App State was more adept at capitalizing, picking up 16 points on JMU’s miscues.
Tate and forward CJ Huntley tied for team-high honors in rebounding.
Now sporting a 5-game win streak, the Mountaineers improve to 11-7 overall and 5-2 in Sun Belt Conference play. The win moves the Mountaineers into a tie with Arkansas State for second place in the standings, behind only the 6-1 South Alabama Jaguars.
The Dukes’ starting guards Mark Freeman and Bryce Lindsay were the only home team players in double figures, scoring, with 10 and 13 points, respectively.
App State will have an opportunity to break the second place deadlock on Thursday, Jan. 23, when they travel to Jonesboro, Ark., to face Arkansas State. It was a Red Wolves’ Freddy Hicks buzzer beater that knocked the Mountaineers out of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals last March. Only Tate, Huntley and redshirt freshman Luke Wilson remain on the Mountaineer roster from a year ago, but the sting of the upset will likely be somewhere on a locker room bulletin board.
