Women's Basketball Rolls Past App State in Front of Record Crowd

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison dominated the glass (39-23) and shot 13-of-23 (.565) from the field in the second half to power past App State for a 74-48 victory in front of 4,690 fans on Saturday afternoon – the largest crowd for a women's basketball game in the history of the Atlantic Union Bank Center (2020-Present).

The Dukes (21-8, 12-4 Sun Belt) scored 23 points off turnovers and sank 15-of-19 (.789) from the free throw line to top the Mountaineers (11-16, 4-12 Sun Belt) for JMU's seventh straight win, and its 10th over the last 11 games.

Ashanti Barnes led all players with 23 points – her sixth game with at least 20 points this season – and pulled down seven rebounds. Peyton McDaniel posted 18 points and 11 boards for the 29th double-double of her career. Bree Robinson recorded nine points, five assists, and three steals – notching a box score +/- of +26 in 33 minutes of action. Zakiya Stephenson dished out a game-best six assists, while Grace McDonough finished with seven points and five rebounds in the win.

Elena Pericic (14) and Feryal Defne Atli (11) combined for 25 of App State's 48 points. Atli also paced the team on the glass with seven rebounds. Emma Smith chipped in with nine points and three assists.

How It Happened
First Quarter – JMU 16, App State 11

JMU made six baskets on five assists to take a five-point lead (16-11) after one.
Six Dukes scored in the opening frame, while Robinson and Stephenson each registered a pair of assists.

Second Quarter – JMU 38, App State 27

Hold a 20-19 edge early in the second, JMU went on a 12-2 run for a 32-21 advantage, forcing an App State timeout with 2:17 to play.
McDaniel added eight points and five rebounds in the frame as the Dukes dominated the glass (21-11) in the first half.

Third Quarter – JMU 56, App State 39

The Dukes made six of their last seven from the field as the lead ballooned to 17 (52-35) near the halfway point of the period.
Barnes went 3-for-4 (.750) and 2-for-2 from the line for eight points.

Fourth Quarter – JMU 74, App State 48

JMU drew nine fouls, which led to the Dukes going 8-for-11 (.727) from the charity stripe.
The Dukes made their final three field goals to outscore the Mountaineers 18-9 in the final frame.

Game Notes

James Madison has now won 10 games by 20-plus points in 2025-26. Meanwhile, the victory was the Dukes' 10th by 25 or more against a Sun Belt Conference opponent since joining the league prior to the 2022-23 season.
JMU held an advantage in points in the paint (34-26), points off turnovers (23-10), second-chance points (12-2), and bench points (12-8).
With 74 assists and 74 steals, Robinson is one of 25 Division I players with at least 70 in both categories this season.
The Dukes have won the rebounding battle by 15 or more 10 times in 2025-26.

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