Fourth-Quarter Burst Pushes JMU Past South Alabama, 82-66

Wednesday, February 7

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

17-7,9-3Sun Belt

South Alabama

8-16,1-11Sun Belt

South Alabama

James Madison

Fourth-Quarter Burst Pushes JMU Past South Alabama, 82-66

2/7/2024 11:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison scored 28 points in the fourth quarter, highlighted by an 18-2 run, to thwart a late comeback by South Alabama for an 82-66 victory inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center on Wednesday night in Sun Belt Conference women's basketball action.

JMU (17-7, 9-3 SBC) dominated USA (8-16, 1-11 SBC) on the glass, 56-35, while redshirt junior Kseniia Kozlova (21 points, 11 rebounds) and senior Hevynne Bristow (10 points, 10 rebounds) recorded double-doubles in the win. Kozlova scored her season-high of 21 points after shooting 10-of-14 (.714) to go along with two assists and two blocks for her fifth double-double of the season. Meanwhile, Bristow added two blocks and a steal on her way to back-to-back double-doubles at home.

Redshirt sophomore Peyton McDaniel paced all players with 22 points on 9-of-16 (.563) from the field and knocked down a pair of three-pointers. Junior Ashanti Barnes registered 11 points and eight boards off the bench, while sophomore Chloe Sterling tied her career-high with six assists.

Jordan Rosier led the charge for South Alabama with 18 points, followed by Michiyah Simmons (14) and Kelsey Thompson (13). Emani Burks pulled down a team-best eight rebounds in the loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter

James Madison went on an 8-0 run to take an 8-2 lead and force an early South Alabama timeout.
The Dukes led by as much as eight (10-2), but the Jaguars responded by cutting the deficit to one (14-13) at the 2:52 mark.
JMU held an 18-15 advantage at halftime, with Kozlova responsible for eight points on 4-of-4 from the field.

Second Quarter

The Dukes went on a 12-2 tear for a 33-19 lead at the media timeout with triples from McDaniel, Barnes and graduate student Carole Miller.
JMU went cold halfway through the period, with the Dukes going scoreless for over four minutes until McDaniel connected on an unbalanced three-pointer at the buzzer to give James Madison a 37-24 cushion at the break.

Third Quarter

South Alabama chipped away at the Dukes' lead, causing three early turnovers to trail 42-34 with 6:42 to force a JMU timeout.
The Jaguars outscored James Madison 25-17 in the frame, but the Dukes held on to a 54-49 edge after three.

Fourth Quarter

Back-to-back baskets by USA cut the deficit to one (54-53) in the opening minute.
A three-pointer by Michiyah Simmons gave the Jaguars a 59-58 edge with 7:54 remaining.
JMU responded with a 6-0 run in 1:46 to go ahead 64-59 at the media timeout.
After a Kelsey Thompson layup made it 64-61, the Dukes followed up with an 8-0 spurt for a 72-62 advantage with 1:50 to go.
James Madison cruised the rest of the way, highlighted by an 18-2 run over a 6:44 stretch for the 82-66 win.

GAME NOTES

James Madison leads South Alabama 2-0 in the all-time series. USA is one of five Sun Belt schools that JMU has not lost to, the others being Louisiana (2-0), Texas State (2-0), Southern Miss (2-0) and ULM (1-0).
The Dukes held an advantage in points in the paint (56-26), bench points (30-13), second chance points (17-10) and points off of turnovers (11-9).
JMU has now scored 56 points in the paint in back-to-back games, tied for the most by the team against a Division I opponent this season with their effort at Marshall on Feb. 3.
James Madison had multiple people record double-doubles for the third time this season. Moreover, it is the second time in 2023-24 in which Kozlova and Bristow had double-doubles in the same game. Kozlova (19 points, 14 rebounds) and Bristow (14 points, 10 rebounds) performed the feat against App State on Jan. 27.
Kozlova's double-double was her fifth this season and seventh in her career, while Bristow's was the second of her career. Additionally, Bristow's 10 rebounds tied her career-high.
Redshirt junior Jamia Hazell tied her career-high eight rebounds. This is the sixth time she's grabbed eight boards, with the most recent being this season against Michigan State on Nov. 23.
JMU won the rebounding battle for the 21st time this season and the 13th time by double figures.
James Madison is 11-2 inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center this season, the most home wins by the program since going 14-1 in 2019-2020 in the Dukes' final season in the Convocation Center.
The Dukes' 28 points in the fourth quarter are tied for the most by the team in any fourth quarter this season. JMU poured in 28 points in an 85-79 win at ULM on Dec. 30.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will head west to face Ball State on Sunday, Feb. 11, for their second and final MAC-SBC Challenge game of the 2023-24 season. The opening tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.