NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State men's basketball team hits the road once again this Saturday, Dec. 6, traveling to Harrisonburg, Va., for a 2 p.m. showdown with the James Madison Dukes. 

ABOUT THE SPARTANS 

Norfolk State enters Saturday's matchup with a 4–5 record following a 98-61 road loss at No. 2 Arizona on Saturday, Nov. 29. 

• Head Coach Robert Jones, in his 13th season, is just 10 wins away from reaching 250 career victories. 
• NSU looks to secure its first road win of the 2025–26 campaign. 
• Saturday's matchup is the second game of a 10-game road stretch spanning 48 days between home contests (Nov. 25 vs. VUL to Jan. 12 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore). 
• During this stretch, the Spartans will travel approximately 14,900 miles. 

Player Highlights 

• Anthony McComb III leads NSU in scoring with 153 points through nine games, averaging 17.0 ppg, and also leads the team with 45 rebounds (5.0 rpg). 

  • McComb ranks: 
    • 3rd in the MEAC in scoring (17.0 ppg) 
    • 2nd in minutes played (33.3) 
    • 7th in rebounds per game (5.0) 
    • 5th in field goal percentage (44.1%) 
    • 6th in free throw percentage (79.5%) 
    • 5th in three-pointers per game (2.0) 
    • 8th in steals (1.6) 
    • 13th in blocked shots (0.6) 
• Elijah Jamison ranks second on the team and sixth in the MEAC with 13.7 ppg. 
  • Jamison ranks:  
    • 4th in field goal percentage (45.2%) 
    • 5th in assists per game (3.9) 
    • 3rd in assist/turnover ratio (2.1) 
• Devon Ellis ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.3 ppg (13th in the MEAC). 

SERIES HISTORY VS. JAMES MADISON 

• Saturday's matchup marks the sixth meeting between the two Virginia programs.  
• Norfolk State holds a 3–2 advantage in the all-time series.  
• The Spartans are riding a three-game winning streak against the Dukes. 
• NSU won the most recent matchup, defeating JMU 83–69 on Nov. 9, 2024, in Echols Hall. 
• Under head coach Robert Jones, Norfolk State has never lost to James Madison. 

SCOUTING THE DUKES 

JMU enters Saturday's matchup with a 6–4 record following a 67–62 win over North Carolina Central on Wednesday, Dec. 3. 

• Junior transfer Justin McBride scored 16 points in the victory, marking his ninth double-figure game of the season; he leads the Dukes with 15.7 points per game. 
• Eddie Ricks III leads JMU on the boards with 69 total rebounds and 6.9 rebounds per game. 
• The Dukes average 75.8 points per game, while Norfolk State averages 79.9. 
• As a team, JMU shoots 43.8% (258–589) from the field, 37.3% (101–271) from three, and 73.8% (141–191) at the free throw line. 
•  Head Coach Preston Spradlin is in his second season and holds a 26–16 record at the helm. 
• JMU is 4–0 at home this season in the Atlantic Union Bank Center. 
• Since the arena opened in 2020–21, the Dukes hold a 61-16 home record. 
• Norfolk State handed JMU its first-ever loss in the Atlantic Union Bank Center with an 83–73 win during the 2020–21 season. 

LAST TIME OUT 

• Anthony McComb III led Norfolk State against No. 2 Arizona with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting, playing a team-high 38 minutes. 
• Melo Baines and Elijah Jamison added eight points each while Keyontae Lewis contributed six points. 
• Ten different Spartans recorded points in the game. 
• NSU shot 42.2% from the field, connecting on 27-of-64 attempts. 
• The Spartans went 2-of-9 (22.2%) from the free throw line. 
• NSU's 27 total rebounds marked its lowest single-game total of the season. 
• The Spartans' 29 personal fouls tied their season high, matching the 29 fouls committed against William & Mary on Nov. 8. 
• The 98–61 loss at Arizona marked NSU's largest opponent scoring margin of the season (37 points), which also stands as the 12th-largest defeat of the Spartans' Division I era. 
• Arizona's 98 points were the 11th-most Norfolk State has allowed in a game during the DI era. 

UP NEXT 

Norfolk State continues its month-long road trip with a visit to Waco, Texas, to face the Baylor Bears on Wednesday, Dec. 10, at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT.