Bobcats men’s basketball defeats JMU Dukes in 2OT thriller

By: Jacob De Luna

KTSW Reporter

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State prevented James Madison from being crowned the regular season Sun Belt Conference champions inside Strahan Arena, defeating the Dukes 102-93 in double-overtime.

Tylan Pope led the Bobcats in scoring with 23 points, also adding six rebounds and three assists on the night. Tyrel Morgan shot 8-9 from the field against the Dukes finishing with 19 points and also grabbing five rebounds. Off the bench for Texas State Coleton Benson scored 21 points, shooting 7-11 from the field and 3-6 from behind the arc.

“What a game,” said Texas State head coach Terrence Johnson. “I am very thankful to the administration, the community and the student body for believing in us. Without the loud crowd, I am not sure that guy goes 1-2 from the free throw line [in the first overtime], giving us another chance.”

For the Dukes, Elijah Hutchins-Everett finished with a double-double before fouling out of the game in the first overtime. He scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, also recording two blocks and one steal. Bryce Lindsay and Mark Freeman both scored 19 points for JMU. Combined, Lindsay and Freeman 36 total shots with 24 of them being 3-pointers.

James Madison was not hesitant to give Texas State a wake-up call to start the first half. The Dukes jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead after converting two layups, one jumper and a 3-pointer. The quick start forced Texas State to burn a timeout. JMU maintained their momentum throughout the first half, leading by as much as 11 points with under 10 minutes to play in the opening half. The Bobcats were able to cut the JMU lead to single-digits at the end of the first, trailing 41-33.

Johnson spoke about his mix of players rising to the challenge in the second half against a top Sun Belt squad in James Madison.

“I thought the way that group of seniors came out in the second half set the tone and gave us hope that we can come back and make this a game. I have to commend the seniors for that.”

To open the second half, Texas State immediately went on an 8-0 scoring run and tied the ball game at 41-41. From that point until the end of the ball game spectators would see both teams trading buckets, not able to pull-away from one another.

 With 11:43 remaining in regulation time, Mark Drone tied the game, again, at 51-51 with a crafty layup at the rim. Prior to a media timeout at 7:44, Benson converted an and-1 play for the Bobcats, tying the game at 60-60. The last minute of regulation was nothing but chaos. Pope hit two free throws for Texas State tying the game at 75-75, followed by a jumper from Drone to give the Bobcats the lead. With three seconds remaining, JMU’s Lindsay was fouled and sent to the line, connecting on both free throws to essentially send the game to overtime. 

With 1:39 remaining in the first overtime, the Dukes led Texas State 86-81. The Bobcats took an 87-86 lead with 0:04 remaining after four Pope free throws and a Morgan layup. Again, JMU was fouled to end overtime, but this time they could win the game and also the SBC regular season crown. Freeman went 1-2 from the line, tying the game and sending it to 2OT.

The Bobcats put away JMU and their regular season conference championship hopes in double-overtime, out-scoring the Dukes 15-6. The Bobcats walked out victorious 102-93 and will take on the Old Dominion Monarchs in the third round of the SBC Championship in Pensacola, Florida.