JMU Outlasts Georgia State in Overtime, 81-79

Thursday, February 12

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

13-13,5-8Sun Belt

Georgia State

9-17,6-7Sun Belt

OT 1

Georgia St.

James Madison

2/12/2026 10:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Cliff Davis tallied a season-high 26 points, Justin McBride added 22 points, and James Madison men's basketball held on for an 81-79 overtime win over Georgia State on Thursday night at the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

JMU (13-13, 5-8 Sun Belt) led 70-66 with two minutes left in regulation but Georgia State (9-17, 6-7 SBC) scored four straight to force overtime. In the extra period, Davis finished at the rim with eight seconds left to break the tie and give the Dukes the win after a stop on the defensive end.

Davis' 26 points surpassed his previous season high, as the guard knocked down 6-of-10 (.600) from behind the arc and recorded a career-high five steals. McBride finished 10-of-18 from the floor and corralled a team-best nine rebounds, while Kose Egbule tallied a season-high seven assists.

Jelani Hamilton finished with 28 points and seven rebounds to lead Georgia State in both categories. Micah Tucker notched 20 points and led the Panthers with five assists, while Malachi Brown pitched in nine points and five rebounds.

How It Happened
First Half: James Madison 41, Georgia State 33

After being tied 13-13, Gabe Newhoff picked up two buckets to put JMU ahead 17-15 going into the under-12 timeout.
Davis hit his third 3-pointer of the game to tie up the score at 32 with 4:00 to play in the half.
The Dukes ended the half on a 12-1 run to push their lead to 41-33.

Second Half: James Madison 70, Georgia State 70

With a steal and fast break layup, Cliff Davis forced a timeout by the Panthers, as the JMU lead grew to 13 points (54-41) with 15:21 left
Georgia State used a 19-2 run to swing the momentum, taking a 58-56 lead with 8:56 left.
After Justin McBride made an and-one to bring the JMU lead to four, Micah Tucker
responded with two buckets to tie the game up with 16 seconds left

Overtime

JMU opened the period on an 8-3 run, leading 78-73 with 1:12 left.
The Panthers tied the game at 79-79 on a three from Hamilton with 38 seconds left, but Davis gave the Dukes a 81-79 lead and JMU got a stop on the defensive end to seal the victory.

Game Notes

JMU won its seventh straight game against Georgia State, improving to 12-9 against the Panthers.
The Dukes improved to 9-3 at home this season.
Davis finished with 26 points, his ninth straight game with 10 or more points and fourth game with 20 or more.
Gabe Newhof finished with 11 points, his eighth game in double figures. The forward also brought down a season-high nine rebounds.
JMU won its first overtime game since winning in double overtime at Kent State on Nov. 9, 2023. The Dukes improved to 1-2 in overtime games under Preston Spradlin.
As a program, JMU played its first overtime game in the Atlantic Union Bank Center since the building opened in 2020.
Davis finished with six threes, bringing his season total to 82. He is now tied with Humpty Hitchens (2011-12) for eighth on the JMU single-season three-pointers list – needing three to tie Stuckey Mosley (85, 2017-18)
Davis recorded his sixth game with five or made threes, making him the third JMU player since 2004-05 to accomplish that feat. He joined Bryce Lindsay (6, 2024-25) and Kyle Swanston (7, 2008-09).