PENSACOLA, Fla. – James Madison and Georgia Southern notched wins in second-round games at the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve on Tuesday evening at the Pensacola Bay Center.
The No. 9 seed, James Madison defeated No. 12 seed Louisiana, 87-72, before No. 10 seed Georgia Southern held on for an 88-84 victory over No. 11 seed Old Dominion despite Monarchs graduate guard Jordan Battle’s Sun Belt tournament single-game scoring record of 45 points.
The third round of the Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship is slated for Thursday, March 5 with two games beginning at 5 and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
Game 3: (9) James Madison 87, (12) Louisiana 72 (Box Score)
Fifth-year guard Cliff Davis scored 21 points and junior forward Justin McBride added 20 points and eight rebounds, as James Madison shot over 59 percent from the floor while holding Louisiana to 42 percent shooting.
The Dukes ripped off a 16-1 scoring run that included a stretch of 14-straight points to build a 24-12 lead with 6:31 remaining in the first half. They shot 14-for-24 (.583) in the opening period and kept the margin at double digits for the duration of the half before taking a 37-27 lead into the intermission.
James Madison shot 60 percent and made 13 of 17 free throws in the second half despite the Ragin’ Cajuns drawing as close as four points, 55-51, with 8:30 left in the game. Leading by just five with 3:22 to go, the Dukes scored seven straight points to extend the advantage back to double digits for a majority of the final minutes.
Sophomore guard Jaxon Olvera led Louisiana with a game-high 28 points on 10-for-21 shooting, as junior guard Dorian Finister shot 9-for-13 and added 27 points.
James Madison advances to face eighth-seeded Southern Miss at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
Game 4: (10) Georgia Southern 88, (11) Old Dominion 84 (Box Score)
Georgia Southern graduate guard Spudd Webb scored 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting with five assists and redshirt senior forward Alden Applewhite poured in 27 points, as the Eagles shot 27-for-52 (.519) overall.
After allowing the game’s first basket, the Eagles raced out on a 15-2 scoring run - including nine-straight points - to build a double-digit lead just over four minutes into the contest. The game would draw even at 19 and again at 22, as neither team pulled ahead by more than five points for the remainder of the half as Georgia Southern held a 39-37 edge at halftime.
Leading by two midway through the second half, the Eagles went on a 9-0 run over two minutes game time to build another double-digit advantage, 65-54, with 9:21 to go. The margin widened to 14 points less than a minute later, but trailing 71-57, the Monarchs scored eight-straight points to pull within six, 71-65, with under six minutes left.
Old Dominion drew as close as three points on multiple occasions inside the final three minutes, but Georgia Southern never surrendered the lead to hold on and advance.
For the Monarchs, Battle shot 11-for-18 from the field, including 8-for-10 from 3-point range, while going 15-for-16 at the free throw line. His 45 points broke a 36-year-old tournament record previously held by former Jacksonville guard Dee Brown who scored 41 points against Old Dominion in 1990.
Georgia Southern advances to face 7th-seeded Arkansas State at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Presented By Air Force Reserve
Tuesday, March 3
Game 1 – (12) Louisiana def. (13) Georgia State, 84-75
Game 2 – (11) Old Dominion def. (14) ULM, 87-80
Wednesday, March 4
Game 3 – (9) James Madison def. (12) Louisiana, 87-72
Game 4 – (10) Georgia Southern def. (11) Old Dominion, 88-84
Thursday, March 5
Game 5 – (8) Southern Miss vs. (9) James Madison – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 6 – (7) Arkansas State vs. (10) Georgia Southern – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Friday, March 6
Game 7 – (5) Texas State vs. Winner Game 5 – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 8 – (6) South Alabama vs. Winner Game 6 – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Saturday, March 7
Game 9 – (4) App State vs. Winner Game 7 – 5:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 10 – (3) Coastal Carolina vs. Winner Game 8 – 8 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Sunday, March 8
Game 11 – (1) Troy vs. Winner Game 9 – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 12 – (2) Marshall vs. Winner Game 10 – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Monday, March 9 (Championship)
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 6 p.m. CT [ESPN2]