Troy’s reliable outside shooting abandoned it on Thursday night, resulting in the Trojans’ first Sun Belt Conference home defeat in nearly a year.
Cliff Davis scored 23 points to lead James Madison to a 73-64 win at Trojan Arena, snapping Troy’s five-game winning streak. The Trojans (15-7, 8-2 Sun Belt) are still in first place in the Sun Belt standings, but saw their lead trimmed to 1.5 games over second-place South Alabama.
The Dukes (11-11, 4-6) won the rebounding battle 45-33, and held the Trojans to just 36% shooting from the field. Troy — which came into Thursday averaging better than 86 points and 10 3-pointers per game — shot just 28% (8-for-26) from beyond the arc.
Troy — which had not lost a Sun Belt game at home since last Feb. 11 vs. Louisiana — led by as many as nine in the first half, but James Madison outscored the Trojans 19-7 in the final nine minutes before halftime to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room. The Trojans never led in the second half, and only twice got as close as three points in the final 12 minutes.
Victor Valdes led Troy with 16 points and five assists, while Thomas Dowd had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Theo Seng scored 11 and Cooper Campbell 10, but no Trojans player made more than two 3-pointers.
Christian Brown scored just four points for JMU, but grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Eddie Ricks had a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
Troy remains home Saturday, hosting Appalachian State at 3:33 p.m. That game will stream live via ESPN+.