HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – Trailing by as many as 19 (44-25) late in the first half, James Madison men’s basketball stormed back for a 70-69 win over the Old Dominion Monarchs on Saturday afternoon in front of a season-high 5,585 fans at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.
JMU (9-8, 2-3 Sun Belt) matched its largest comeback since the 2023-24 season, using a Gabe Newhof bucket with two seconds left to take the lead and hold on for the win. Old Dominion fell to 5-13 overall and 2-4 in league play with the loss.
Leading the scoring for JMU was Justin McBride, who finished with 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting and a perfect 6-of-6 in the second half. Along with McBride, Newhof finished a perfect 7-of-7 from the field in the second half as the Dukes shot 68 percent (17-25) from the floor to mount the comeback.
JMU held a distinct 42-22 lead in points in the paint and outrebounded ODU 42-30. Ketron Shaw led the Monarchs with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Robert Davis Jr. had 13 points.
How it Happened
First Half: James Madison 27, Old Dominion 44
• After JMU jumped ahead to a 7-2 lead, the Monarchs embarked on a 15-2 run to go up 17-9 and force a timeout from the Dukes at the 12:44 mark.
• ODU scored eight unanswered after the stoppage before the Dukes were able to halt the run with a Cliff Davis three to make the score 25-12.
• ODU scored from beyond the arc twice in the final two minutes of the half to maintain a 17-point advantage at the break.
Second Half: James Madison 70, Old Dominion 69
• The Dukes converted their first five field goal attempts to slice ODU’s lead to 11.
• JMU’s next six buckets came from inside the paint, allowing the Dukes to cut their deficit to less than 10 for the first time in the half at the 10:18 mark.
• After ODU extended its lead to 67-59 with 3:46 left, the Dukes stormed back with a 9-2 run to trail by one (69-68) and took the lead on a jumper from Newhof with two seconds left.
Game Notes
• JMU improved to 63-17 at the Atlantic Union Bank Center since the building opened in 2020-21 and 23-6 against Sun Belt foes.
• The 19-point comeback was the largest for the Dukes since the 2023-24 season, when JMU trailed by 19 at Georgia Southern and came away with the 80-74 win.
• McBride’s 29 points marked his seventh 20-point game of the season and career.
• Newhof reached double figures for the seventh time this season and 92nd time of his career.
• The Dukes improved to 22-7 under Preston Spradlin when scoring more than 70 points and 10-6 in games decided by 1-5 points.
Up Next
JMU will play a pair of road games at App State (Jan. 15) and Marshall (Jan. 17) to continue Sun Belt Conference play.
— JMU Athletics —
