Troy University Athletics
Troy University
15-7,8-2Sun Belt
James Madison
11-11,4-6Sun Belt
Troy Suffers Setback Against James Madison
1/29/2026 10:22:00 PM | Basketball (M)
TROY, Ala. – Troy men's basketball's five-game winning streak came to a halt Thursday night, as the Trojans were upended by James Madison inside Trojan Arena, 73-64.
Troy (15-7, 8-2) struggled shooting the ball, turning in its third-worst shooting performance of the season at 36.1% (22-for-61) from the field.
Despite holding a nine-point advantage in the first half, the Trojans lost the lead and played from behind for the entirety of the second half.
Troy also struggled on the glass, getting outrebounded by the Dukes, 45-33.
James Madison (11-11, 4-6) received a standout performance from Cliff Davis after season-long leading scorer Justin McBride exited the game due to injury in the first half. Davis scored 23 points in 30 minutes of action.
Troy held an early 8-5 lead following a deep 3-point basket from Victor Valdes. A few minutes later Cooper Campbell hit a three of his own after Kerrington Kiel jumped a pass for one of Troy's seven steals in the first half.
Dowd had an impressive opening 20 minutes, including a stretch which featured a solo steal and slam, followed by a defensive rebound and made 3-pointer on the next two possessions. This gave the Trojans their largest lead of the game at nine with 9:30 in the first.
James Madison immediately found an answer, however, in the form of Davis. Davis nailed threes on the Duke's next possessions, cutting the lead to three.
Davis scored a game-high 15 points in the opening 20 minutes, all coming from beyond the arc.
Preston Fowler added a deep ball to give James Madison a 50% (12-for-24) mark from the field and 54.5% (6-11) number from 2-point territory.
The Dukes held a halftime lead of 31-28.
James Madison opened the second half scoring the first four points to take a seven-point lead. Troy struggled to cut into the lead, however three-straight stops allowed the Trojans to get the deficit back to three.
Again, however, James Madison responded, and in the second half it was Bradley Douglas getting things done offensively, scoring all of his 14 points in the final 20 minutes.
Rick pushed JMU's lead back to seven with a second chance tip-in lay up with 9:35 to go.
Troy had a few more gasps left, including Cobi Campbell making a corner three to trim the lead to three yet again with just 3:29 remaining.
A 3-pointer from Douglas and layup by Christian Brown pushed James Madison's lead up to eight, which proved too much for Troy to overcome, giving the Dukes a 73-64 win.
Quotable – Head Coach Scott Cross
"James Madison was the better team today; they were very physical from the jump. They were physical guarding the ball and our ball screens. We weren't able to get to the basket or the free throw line. They crushed us on the boards and shot a high percentage against us. We have a tough one on Saturday, so hopefully we will respond and get back to playing the right way."
Notables
- Thomas Dowd recorded his fifth-straight double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Dowd's 13 double-doubles this season are tied for fourth in the country.
- Dowd finished with an all-around statline, also adding career highs in assists (6) and steals (5).
- The Trojans' six turnovers were a season low.
- Troy's seven blocks tied a season high. The Trojans also recorded seven blocks against Arkansas State on Jan. 17.
- Troy is 2-4 when trailing at halftime this season.
- Troy is now 1-4 all-time against James Madison.
Up Next
Troy hosts App State in the second game of its two-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 3:33 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ and available to listen to on the Troy Sports Media Network.
