James Madison Dukes at Valparaiso Beacons
· NCAA Men's Basketball
49 - 81
Valparaiso breaks away from James Madison 81-49
The Crusaders (3-3) hit 58 percent from the field and placed four scorers in double figures. LaVonte Dority and Alec Peters scored 15 each and Lexus Williams added 12 points. The win matches Valparaiso's largest margin of victory over a Division I school since beating Toledo by the same score 81-49 in 2009.
James Madison (2-4) held the lead early until Dority put Valparaiso ahead for good, 20-18, at the 9:40 mark of the first half. His 3-pointer capped an 8-4 swing in which the Dukes missed two shots and committed two turnovers.
The teams were tied twice and exchanged the lead four times up until that point.
Charles Cooke and Taylor Bessick scored 14 apiece for the Dukes, who were out-rebounded 32-17. The rebounding disparity gave Valparaiso a 34-22 scoring edge in the paint.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:27 | Taylor Bessick made Jumper. | 49 - 81 |
| 2nd 0:44 | Bobby Capobianco made Layup. Assisted by Lexus Williams. | 47 - 81 |
| 2nd 1:16 | Charles Cooke made Free Throw. | 47 - 79 |
| 2nd 1:16 | Charles Cooke made Free Throw. | 46 - 79 |
| 2nd 1:16 | Foul on Bobby Capobianco. | 45 - 79 |
Statistics
 JMU |
 VAL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 16-42 | FG | 29-50 |
| 38 | Field Goal % | 58 |
| 2-14 | 3PT | 9-20 |
| 14 | Three Point % | 45 |
| 15-16 | FT | 14-16 |
| 94 | Free Throw % | 88 |
| 17 | Rebounds | 32 |
| 7 | Offensive Rebounds | 12 |
| 10 | Defensive Rebounds | 20 |
| 4 | Assists | 16 |
| 10 | Steals | 12 |
| 0 | Blocks | 0 |
| 18 | Turnovers | 15 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 18 | Total Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 17 | Points Off Turnovers | 25 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 0 | Points in Paint | 0 |
| 13 | Fouls | 17 |
Game Information
Location: Valparaiso, IN
Attendance: 2,453 | Capacity:
2025-26 Sun Belt Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Troy | 12-6 | - | 22-12 |
| South Alabama | 11-7 | 1 | 21-12 |
| Arkansas State | 11-7 | 1 | 20-12 |
| Texas State | 11-7 | 1 | 19-13 |
| Marshall | 11-7 | 1 | 19-13 |
| Coastal Carolina | 11-7 | 1 | 19-13 |
| App State | 11-7 | 1 | 19-13 |
| James Madison | 9-9 | 3 | 18-15 |
| Southern Miss | 9-9 | 3 | 19-16 |
| Georgia Southern | 8-10 | 4 | 21-16 |
| Old Dominion | 7-11 | 5 | 12-21 |
| Louisiana | 7-11 | 5 | 11-22 |
| Georgia State | 7-11 | 5 | 10-22 |
| UL Monroe | 1-17 | 11 | 4-28 |
2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |