HARRISONBURG, Va. (Dec. 3, 2024) – Trailing by as many as 16 points in the second half, the ETSU men's basketball team pulled within three with just under six minutes remaining; however, the Buccaneers couldn't get over the hump as the Dukes held on for a 71-61 win on Tuesday night inside Atlantic Union Bank Center.
 
A trio of Bucs scored in double figures with Quimari Peterson posting a game-high 19 points, while Jaden Seymour added 18 points and John Buggs III pitched in with 15. Peterson also totaled eight rebounds and five assists.
 
In a game where both teams made 23 field goals, the Bucs made three more three-pointers (8-5); however, JMU went to the free throw line 11 more times. The Dukes finished 20-of-25, compared to ETSU going 7-of-14. The Bucs outrebounded one top rebounding teams by two, 37-35, including a plus-nine advantage on the offensive glass, 15-6.
 
After winning their final four games to close out November, the Blue & Gold saw their streak snapped to start December as ETSU – who is ranked No. 20 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll – dropped to 6-3. James Madison bounced back into the win column as the Dukes – who won 32 games and beat Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament a year ago – improved to 5-4.

 
JMU jumped out to a quick start as they scored the first seven points – and after Buggs connected on one of his three triples – the Dukes answered with another 7-0 spurt to go up 11, 14-3. The Bucs weathered the storm and scored 11 of the next 16 points to pull within five, 19-14, following a Seymour jumper with 10 minutes before the break. ETSU trailed by five on two additional possessions in the half, but JMU took a 10-point lead into halftime, 37-27.
 
The Dukes carried momentum into the second half as they extended their lead to 16, 46-30, but ETSU continued to fight over the final 16 minutes.
 
The Bucs scored eight unanswered points to cut the deficit in half, 46-38, with 13:49 remaining. With JMU's lead hovering around the eight-point margin over the next four-plus minutes, ETSU cut it to five when Peterson found Karon Boyd for a three, making it 58-53, at the 8:16 mark.
 
ETSU kept battling and eventually made it a three-point contest, 62-59, following Peterson's three-ball with just under six minutes left to play. Unfortunately, the Bucs couldn't inch any closer as the Dukes closed the game on a 9-2 run to hold on for the 10-point win.
 
Four JMU starters scored in double figures with Mark Freeman and Elijah Hutchins-Everett each netting 16 points.
 
ETSU continues its road swing as the Bucs play at Wichita State Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET.
 
For more information on ETSU men's basketball, go to ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's basketball tab.