HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – The James Madison’s Men’s Basketball season and home opener ended in an 86-77 loss to Miami (Ohio) on Monday night after the visiting RedHawks capitalized on a second-half scoring run.
Hosting one of last season’s hottest teams to open up the 2026-27 campaign, JMU (0-1, 0-0 SBC) held an arm’s length lead over Miami (Ohio) (1-0, 0-0 MAC) until the RedHawks exploded with 51 second-half points to take the win over the Dukes. James Madison was held to 36 second-half points.
JMU was led by Paul Jones III with 14 points on 57 percent shooting (4-of-7), the most points he has scored at JMU. Luke Skaljac led the RedHawks with 19 points on 36 percent (5-of-14).
Looking at team stats, the RedHawks outrebounded the Dukes, 44-39. Powered by 47 percent second half shooting, Miami (Ohio) edged the Dukes out in team shooting percentage, 46 percent to 39 percent. JMU also gave up more turnovers, 10 to the RedHawks’ five.
The Dukes hit the road for the first time this season to take on Kentucky this Friday at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game is streaming live on the SEC Network and the Varsity Network App.
How it Happened
First Half: James Madison 41, Miami (Ohio) 35
– After falling behind 8-0, JMU had to settle in and lean on veteran experience to get them out of the early slump. Fueled by a pair of threes and a made contested layup by Paul Jones III, JMU jumped ahead 12-11 over Miami (Ohio).
– The RedHawks responded by flying ahead to a 23-18 advantage, forcing the Dukes to recollect themselves again before going back to work. Thanks to a 9-0 run, JMU took a 27-23 lead with Jacob Hogarth’s nine points pushing the pace.
– Highlighted by a pair of late three-pointers from Adrian Myers and an acrobatic dunk by K.J. Windham, the Dukes ended the half holding a 41-35 lead.
Second Half: James Madison 36, Miami (Ohio) 51
– With the two teams trading shots from beyond the arc, JMU continued to hold an arm’s length lead over the RedHawks at the first media break.
-A 6-0 scoring run by Miami (Ohio) locked the game at 58-58, forcing the Dukes to call a timeout with just over ten minutes remaining.
– Right before the under eight media timeout, the RedHawks would make a three to take a 64-63 lead, their first advantage of the second half.
– The RedHawks’ run continued, resulting in the visitors taking a 75-65 lead.
– JMU would fall, 86-77.
Game Notes
– The first JMU points of 2026-27 were from a three-pointer courtesy of Paul Jones III.
-In his college first game, Ace Meeks scored double digits, finishing the night with 11 points on a stellar 71 percent shooting (5-of-7).
– Miami (Ohio) leads the all-time series 2-1.
– The Dukes are now 4-3 in MAC-SBC Challenge games.
— JMU Athletics —
