HARRISONBURG, Va. – Texas State used a free throw with 3.9 seconds left in regulation to hand James Madison a heartbreaking 63-62 loss on Thursday night in Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

The Dukes (11-5, 2-1 SBC) shot 48.9% (22-45) from the field on the evening but committed 17 turnovers while forcing just 10 and hitting just 14 of 24 free throws (58.3%).

Graduate forward Mezie Offurum had his strongest night in a JMU uniform, racking up 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field to lead the Dukes in scoring, while pulling in six rebounds.

All told, nine of the 10 JMU players who saw the court scored, but none besides Offurum scored more than eight points. JMU won the rebounding battle by a 35-30 margin but was only able to cash in for six second chance points.

Texas State guard Brandon Davis had 16 points to lead the Bobcats on the night.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Neither team was able to find much of an offensive foothold in the opening period, but JMU was able to use an early 8-0 run to stake itself a 12-7 lead after just 4:26 of game action.

The Bobcats would chip away, however, eventually leading by as many as four late in the half before a spinning drive by Takal Molson in the final seconds tied things up at 27-27 heading into the break.

Second Half
Texas State was able to go back on top immediately after halftime, steadily increasing its advantage to as much as 45-37 with 12:29 to play.

The Dukes made their move at that point, putting together a fast-paced 16-5 run across 4:45 to take a 53-50 lead with 7:44 on the clock. However, JMU would make only one field goal the remainder of the contest, as the two teams found themselves tied five times across the final four minutes of action.

After a JMU turnover with 34 seconds to play, Texas State pushed the clock down to the final seconds before the Dukes were whistled for a foul, giving guard Drue Drinnon the opportunity to sink the decisive free throw.

QUICK HITS
– With six points on the evening, junior guard Noah Freidel now has 1,000 points in his collegiate career.

– Junior forward Julien Wooden grabbed a season-high seven rebounds on the evening.

UP NEXT
The Dukes remain at home on the weekend, welcoming App State to the Atlantic Union Bank Center for an 8 p.m. matchup on Saturday, Jan. 7. On Thursday, the Mountaineers got a tip-in layup in the final seconds to beat Coastal Carolina and improve to 8-8 (1-2 SBC) on the season.

— JMU Athletics —