Women's Basketball Captures Hawk Classic Tournament Title

Wednesday, December 21

Philadelphia, Pa.

3 p.m.

James Madison University

10-2,0-0Sun Belt

Saint Joseph's

10-2,0-0Atlantic 10

James Madison

Saint Joseph's

Women's Basketball Captures Hawk Classic Tournament Title

12/21/2022 7:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Highlights

PHILADELPHIA – James Madison won the Hawk Classic Tournament for the first time in program history with a 78-66 win over host Saint Joseph's Wednesday afternoon inside the Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena.

JMU (10-2) picked up its sixth consecutive road win, its best road start since going 9-0 in the 1973-74 campaign. The Hawks (10-2) will remain in Philly with a contest at La Salle on Dec. 31.

Junior Kseniia Kozlova and senior Kiki Jefferson produced 18 points. Kozlova was named the tournament's MVP after scoring 36 total points on 17-of-23 (73.9%).

Fellow juniors Jamia Hazell and Peyton McDaniel also contributed with 13 apiece, a season-high for Hazell. Hazell also tied her personal-best rebounding output with eight boards. Classmate Claire Neff grabbed six rebounds and recorded a pair of steals.

How It Happened

The Hawks came out firing from deep, connecting on four shots, including three from Mackenzie Smith.
Saint Joseph's never lost its lead in the first quarter, wrapping up the period with a 22-17 advantage.
James Madison fought back to tie the game at 25 at the 6:43 mark of the second quarter, highlighted by a pair of tough layups from McDaniel.
The Dukes went into the locker room with a 32-31 edge with a physical bucket from Kozlova with under a minute to go.
Kozlova and Jefferson knocked down three shots in the third frame as JMU finished the quarter up 51-50.
King-Hawea nailed a step-back jumper to give James Madison a 55-50 lead early in the final period.
James Madison went on a 6-1 spurt in a 2:28 span to increase its advantage to 65-57 midway through the fourth.
The Dukes' lead grew to 68-57 with 2:25 remaining courtesy of a Jefferson triple. JMU overpowered SJU in the final minutes for the 78-66 road victory.

Game Notes

JMU leads the all-time series against Saint Joseph's 4-2
The win gave the Dukes their first Hawk Classic title. Previously, the program appeared in the 1994 tournament where they went 1-1.
James Madison bench outscored SJU 23-0.
The Dukes dominated the paint offensively with 46 points.
Kozlova has recorded back-to-back games with 18 points.
Germond hit two three-pointers for the second time in the 2022-23 campaign.
McDaniel finished the first half with nine points off 4-of-4 from the floor.
JMU committed just eight turnovers, the lowest for the program all season.
James Madison sunk 13-of-14 (92.9%) from the charity stripe, the best percentage from the line through the team's first twelve games.
The Dukes went 30-for-63 (47.6%) from the field, the third time this season hitting 30 or more shots.

Tournament Team
Bryce Nixon - WSU
Ce'Nara Skanes - EMU
Mackenzie Smith - SJU
Talya Brugler - SJU
Jamia Hazell - JMU
Kseniia Kozlova - JMU (MVP)

Up Next
The Dukes will return to the Atlantic Union Bank Center for the program's first Sun Belt matchup as members of the conference, hosting Coastal Carolina on Dec. 29. The opening tip is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.