Dukes' Defense Shines in 72-51 Rout Over Georgia Southern

Thursday, January 18

Harrisonburg, Va.

5 p.m.

James Madison University

13-5,5-1Sun Belt

Georgia Southern

13-5,3-3Sun Belt

Ga. Southern

James Madison

JMU WBB vs. Georgia Southern Story Recap

Dukes' Defense Shines in 72-51 Rout Over Georgia Southern

1/18/2024 9:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison women's basketball held Georgia Southern to a season-low 26.7 percent (16-of-60) from the field to roll past the Eagles, 72-51, inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center on Thursday night in Sun Belt Conference action.

JMU (13-5, 6-1 SBC) dominated the glass 50-35 and outscored GS (13-5, 3-3 SBC) in the paint 42-22.

Redshirt sophomore Peyton McDaniel led all players with 24 points on 9-of-14 (.643) to go along with eight rebounds and two steals. Redshirt junior Olivia Mullins scored a season-high 14 points, while classmate Kseniia Kozlova grabbed a team-best nine rebounds and poured in 14 points. Junior Ashanti Barnes registered a career-high four steals and put up eight points off the bench.

For the Eagles, Terren Ward scored a season-low nine points on 3-of-17 (.1.76), while Kayla Thomas chipped in with eight. Eden Johnson paced Georgia Southern with six rebounds and one block.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter

Georgia Southern opened with a 6-2 run and maintained a four-point edge, 10-6, at the media timeout.
The Dukes closed the quarter on a 6-0 spurt to trail 15-14 after one.

Second Quarter

The Eagles increased their lead to eight, 24-16, with a 9-2 start in the second.
JMU fought back to get within one (27-26) at the 2:30 mark after holding GS without a made field goal for over four minutes.
McDaniel knocked down a wide-open triple from the right wing to give the Dukes a 33-31 edge with under a minute to go. James Madison held on to that lead heading into the break. McDaniel had 11 points in the frame, connecting on 5-of-7 (.714) from the field.

Third Quarter

Tied at 35-35, the Dukes went on a 9-0 tear, highlighted by a steal and score by McDaniel to force a Georgia Southern timeout.
Sophomore Chloe Sterling converted on an and-one opportunity to give JMU a 14-point advantage, 52-38, with 1:36 to go in the period.
The Dukes maintained their 14-point cushion with a 54-40 score at the end of the quarter.

Fourth Quarter

The Eagles had a 6-0 run during the middle of the frame, however JMU held strong with a 61-48 lead at the media timeout.
Mullins scored back-to-back baskets to put the Dukes up 65-48 with 3:33 remaining.
JMU ended the game making 6-of-6 from the field, while GS went 0-7 for the last 4:34 of regulation.

GAME NOTES

James Madison and Georgia Southern are now tied at three wins each in the all-time series.
The win marked Head Coach Sean O'Regan's first over Georgia Southern after losing both meetings in the season series last year. It tied for the biggest margin of victory by JMU over a Sun Belt opponent in the regular season as a member of the league, having defeated Coastal Carolina, 77-56, on Dec. 29, 2022.
Coming into the game, Ward was averaging 23.2 points per game, good for seventh in the country.
McDaniel has scored 20 or more points four times this season and five times in her career.
Mullins' previous season high in points was nine, most recently done this season at Maine on Dec. 17.
Four steals by Barnes is the most by any Duke in 2023-24.
JMU out-rebounded GS 50-35, the 16th time the Dukes have out-rebounded their opponent this season.
James Madison held the Eagles to no made field goals for 10:52 of play (Q3 8:21 - Q4 7:29).
McDaniel surpassed 800 career points with 806, Kozlova eclipsed 600 career points with 600 and Mullins reached 500 points with 504 and 200 rebounds at 201.

UP NEXT
The Dukes welcome Old Dominion for another edition of the TowneBank Royal Rivalry Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 20. The opening tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. JMU currently leads ODU in the challenge, 5.5-2.5.