The Dukes Secure Their Second Royal Rivalry Win of the Season, 68-54

Harrisonburg, Va.   –   James Madison men’s basketball held Old Dominion to eight offensive rebounds and 54 points in their second Royal Rivalry win of the season to grab their fourth win in a row, 68-54.

James Madison moves to 14-9 (7-4 SBC) while Old Dominion now sits at 10-13 (6-5 SBC). JMU defensively allowed 54 points, the lowest allowed by a Division I opponent for the season. The Dukes led in steals 8-0 with four per half, this is the first time this season that JMU have not allowed steals against them.

The Dukes’ offensive game was fronted by three dukes with 10 points or more. Redshirt senior Mark Freeman with 17 points and two steals, redshirt freshman Bryce Lindsay with 14 points and three assists, and senior Elijah Hutchins-Everett with 13 points and eight rebounds.Sophomore Eddie Ricks III made an impact on both offense and defense with season highs in blocks (2) and assists (2).

The Monarchs’ offense was led by Robert Davis Jr., who scored 10 points, and Sean Durugordon, who scored 18. ODU totaled 32 rebounds during the match and had a block apiece from Davis Jr. and Caelum Swanton-Rodger.

How it happened
FIRST HALF - JAMES MADISON 36, OLD DOMINION 25

• Both teams started cold with a combined 3 for 13 in the first 2:05 of the contest.
• James Madison went on an 11-2 stretch to create a seven-point margin, before ODU cut it to three to make it 11-9
• Freeman’s back-to-back three-pointers and Hutchins-Everett’s jumper gave the Dukes back an eight-point lead, 19-11, with 9:41 to play in the first.
• A pair of threes from the Monarchs brought the game within two before Freeman (5) and Hutchins-Everett’s (4) scored nine putting the Dukes back up 28-20
• A defensive statement of 22 rebounds locked down the 36-25 lead at the half.

SECOND HALF - JAMES MADISON 32, OLD DOMINION 29

• JMU started the half with a quick 5-0 run within the first two to extend the margin to 16 points, 41-25
• ODU was able to hold the margin at 16 for four minutes until a pair of triples from Lindsay extended the lead by 20 points making it 55-35 with just over 13 left to play.
• A pair of jumpers from Smith and Hutchins-Everett sealed with a dunk from Smith gave the Dukes their largest margin of the game with 25 points.
• The Dukes worked to hold strong defensively and kept the margin to 14+ for the entirety of the second half.

Game Notes

• While ODU holds strong with a 58-35 all-time (31-25 conference play) record, JMU has claimed the last nine matchups.
• The Dukes move to 23-18 at home against the Monarchs with the last loss falling on Nov. 13, 2017 (69-53).
• JMU is now 16-0 combined against ODU men’s/women’s basketball & football since joining the Sun Belt.
• This is the eighth time this season JMU has held their opponents to under 28 points (25) in the first half.
• James Madison is now 13-4 when leading after the first half.
• Today’s attendance of 6,129 is the highest of the 2024-25 season; the highest since Georgia Southern (6,796) on Feb. 17, 2024.

Up Next
James Madison faces Troy (14-7, 7-3 SBC) on Wednesday, February 5 at the Atlantic Union Bank Center. The game is scheduled to start at 7 pm; Follow along on ESPN+.