BOONE, N.C. (JMU Athletics) – App State used a 26-4 run that bridged the halves to take control and downed James Madison, 86-66, in Sun Belt Men’s Basketball on Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Convocation Center.

JMU (9-8, 2-3 SBC) shot just 34.8 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 13 times, while App State (9-7, 3-2 SBC) shot a season-best (vs. DI) 53.8 percent from the field and 10-of-17 (.588) from deep.

Elijah Hutchins-Everett led all JMU players with 19 points and nine rebounds. AJ Smith finished with 13 points – 11 in the second half – and corralled six boards. As a team, the Dukes shot just 6-of-24 (.250) from behind the arc and allowed a season-high 86 points.

The trio of CJ Huntley (21), Myles Tate (21), and Jalil Beaubrun (16) led the Mountaineers offensively – with Huntley also grabbing a team-best eight rebounds. App State also finished with 14 assists on 28 made field goals, led by Tate (7).

How It Happened
First Half: App State 49, James Madison 30
• Hutchins-Everett scored the first seven points for JMU, but App State held a slim 8-7 lead at the first media timeout.
• A three from Bryce Lindsay gave the Dukes a 15-12 advantage but the Mountaineers scored 14 of the next 20 points to go ahead by five (26-21) with 7:34 left.
• A three-pointer from Freeman cut the App State lead to three (31-28), but the Mountaineers closed the half on an 18-2 run to lead 49-30 at the break.

Second Half: App State 86, James Madison 66
• App State scored five quick points out of the break and pushed its lead to 57-32 with 16:32 left in the game, capping a 26-4 run that bridged the halves.
• The Dukes would not get closer than 18 the rest of the way, falling to 0-6 on the road this season.

Game Notes
• App State’s 49 first-half points are the most surrendered by JMU this season.
• The Dukes fell to 0-6 in true road games this season and 3-8 against App State.
• JMU finished with 10 first-half turnovers, the second-most in a first-half this season
• Mark Freeman finished with 10 points, bringing his career total to 1,501. As of Jan. 11, he is one of five active Division I players with 1,500 career points and 500 assists.
• App State used a 14-0 run to extend the lead from 38-30 to 52-30 in just under five minutes of game time. It is the fourth run of 10-0 or more the Dukes have surrendered this season.
• Freeman’s 10-point outing was the 70th career double-figure scoring game.

— JMU Athletics —