By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Visiting James Madison men’s basketball became their own worst enemy on Jan. 11 at the Holmes Convocation Center — and App State took advantage in carving out a dominating, 86-66 victory in front of 2,405.
Thanks largely to the Dukes’ turnovers (10 in the first half alone), the Mountaineers gained early momentum, including separation on the scoreboard midway through the opening half, but it was an 11-0 run just before intermission that arguably drove a dagger into the hearts of the visitors. The scoring burst, capped by a 3-pointer by CJ Huntley just 10 seconds ahead of the buzzer sent App State into their locker room at halftime with a commanding, 49-30 lead.
The Mountaineers may well have played their most complete game of the 2024-25 season, a third consecutive Sun Belt Conference win confirming that the players are finally “gelling” at just the right time, with lots of league play still ahead of them.
“Gelling” is not always a given with a team makeover. The revamped roster from last year’s regular season Sun Belt champs features only three players from a year ago. The rest are either freshmen or acquired through the transfer portal. And this demonstrated, midseason success serves to confirm the high performance quality of the Mountaineer staff, led by head coach Dustin Kerns, both in terms of recruitment in the modern world of college basketball as well as coaching.
Two of those returnees from 2023-24’s championship season, forward CJ Huntley guard Myles Tate, tied for game-high scoring honors with 21 points apiece. Huntley also pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds. Tate recorded game-high honors in both assists (7) and steals (3, tied with App State’s Jackson Threadgill).
A newcomer transfer from Stephen F. Austin University, senior forward Jalil Beaubrun was a key contributor with 16 points.
Among the most impressive stats for the Mountaineers is the rebounding performance of guards Tate and Alonzo Dodd. While cleaning the glass is usually a job reserved for the big guys, the two App State backcourt playmakers combined for 14 rebounds, 7 each, to deprive the Dukes of offensive opportunities.
Have we mentioned yet that the Mountaineers were locked in on their offensive end’s basket? The team’s overall field goal percentage was a stunning 54 percent (28-of-52) and 59 percent from behind the 3-point arc (10-of-17).
If James Madison had a bright spot, it was in the form of senior starting senior Elijah Hutchins-Everett and his inside presence. A year ago, the 6-11, 260 lb. big man was playing for Seton Hall and the two years before that at Austin Peay. With star senior guard Mark Freeman in foul trouble and benched for much of the game, the Dukes turned to Hutchins-Everett for much of their firepower.
With the win, App State moves to 9-7 overall and 3-2 in Sun Belt Conference play. Next for the Mountaineers is a 4-game road swing, starting with at Old Dominion (Jan. 16, 7 p.m.), at James Madison (Jan. 18, 4 p.m.), at Arkansas State (Jan. 23, 9 p.m. ET), and at ULM (Jan. 25, 3 p.m. ET).
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