BOONE, N.C. (JMU Athletics) – App State sprinted out to a 12-0 lead in the opening minutes and never looked back, downing James Madison 80-65 on Thursday night in Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball action at the Holmes Convocation Center.

App State (11-8, 4-3 SBC) led wire-to-wire, shooting 52.5 percent from the floor and draining 13 triples, while JMU (9-9, 2-4 SBC) shot just 35 percent from the field.

For JMU, Cliff Davis knocked down five threes and scored 15 points to lead the scoring effort. Bradley Douglas added 10 points and led the Dukes with four assists, while Ike Cornish tallied a season-high nine points off the bench.

The Mountaineers doubled up the Dukes in the paint (36-18) while outrebounding JMU 38-31. Kasen Jennings and Alonzo Dodd scored 23 points apiece to lead App State in scoring, with Jennings making five threes.

How It Happened
First Half: App State 38, James Madison 27
• App State hit its first five shots to start the game on a 12-0 run, leading 14-3 at the first media timeout.
• JMU went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 19-15, but a Michael Marcus Jr. layup extended the Mountaineers’ lead back to double digits (28-18) with 4:51 left.
• A tip-in from Preston Fowler cut the App State lead to six (33-27), but the Mountaineers scored the final five of the half to go into the locker room up 11.

Second Half: App State 80, James Madison 65
• App State maintained its 11-point lead throughout the first nine minutes of the second half, holding a 57-46 advantage with 11:24 left.
• The Mountaineers dominated the rest of the way, leading by as many as 21 points to come away with the win.

Game Notes
• Davis made five threes for the second time this season and is shooting 37.5 percent (48-of-128) from behind the arc this season.
• For the first time this season, JMU did not lead.

Up Next
JMU will continue its road trip at Marshall on Jan. 17. The game will air on the JMU Radio Network.

— JMU Athletics —