Women's Basketball Treks to Massachusetts for MAC-SBC Challenge

Sunday, February 8

Amherst, Mass.

12 p.m.

James Madison University

Massachusetts

Women's Basketball Treks to Massachusetts for MAC-SBC Challenge

2/6/2026 4:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

CBS Sports Network Listen Live Stats JMU Notes

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison will make its way to the Bay State to face Massachusetts for the final MAC-SBC Challenge game of the 2025-26 season on Saturday. The opening tip inside the Mullins Center is slated for 12 p.m. and will broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.

LAST TIME VS. THE MINUTEWOMEN

Shanna Price scored five points in the final 16.1 seconds to lead JMU to a 56-49 win over Massachusetts at the JMU Convocation Center on Nov. 29, 2001.
Price, who finished with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, hit three of four foul shots in the final seconds and made a layup as time expired.

THE DUKES VS. THE MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE

With the addition of Massachusetts to the Mid-American Conference, JMU is 12-4 (.750) against the league opponents and has perfect marks versus Kent State (3-0), Eastern Michigan (2-0), Massachusetts (2-0), and Ohio (2-0). Additionally, the Dukes are 3-2 (.600) in MAC-SBC Challenge matchups, having won three straight.
Last time out, Peyton McDaniel scored 29 points as James Madison limited Kent State to 1-of-16 (.063) from the three while the Dukes finished with 35 points off turnovers in a dominant 80-48 season-opening victory over the Golden Flashes in the first leg of the MAC-SBC Challenge on Nov. 3 inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

NCAA RANKING SUMMARY

Through Feb. 5 games, JMU owns eight top-75 marks nationally: rebounds per game (24th - 42.12), rebound margin (28th - +8.2), defensive rebounds per game (31st - 28.6), field goal percentage (53rd - 44.6), scoring offense (54th - 74.9),scoring margin (69th - +11.1), blocks per game (71st - 3.9), and offensive rebounds per game (73rd - 13.5).
Individually, Peyton McDaniel is 19th in points (463), Ashanti Barnes is 20th in rebounds (232), Bree Robinson is tied for 27th in steals (64), and Brianna McLeod is tied for 29th in blocks (41).

BY THE NUMBERS

6: With 2,131 career points, Peyton McDaniel is one of six active Division I players with 2,000-plus points, alongside Ta'Niya Latson (South Carolina - 2,399), Hannah Hidalgo (2,124), Destiny Leo (UNLV - 2,068), Ny'Ceara Pryor (Texas A&M - 2,064), and Audi Crooks (Iowa State - 2,024).
20: The Dukes have dished out 20-plus assists in three consecutive games: Louisiana (20 - Jan. 29), South Alabama (22 - Jan. 31), and Southern Miss (21 - Feb. 4). Previously, JMU had not had a streak of 20 or more assists in three straight games since the 2007-08 season, doing so against Wagner (21 - Dec. 31), UNCW (21 - Jan. 6), and Georgia State (22 - Jan. 10).
41: Brianna McLeod is third in the nation in blocks (41) among players with no starts, trailing Paulina Hernandez (Youngstown State - 43) and Aziyah Farrier (Stephen F. Austin - 43). Additionally, her 41 rejections are the most by a Duke since Kayla Cooper Williams posted 74 in the 2019-20 season.
51: JMU has shot 51.8% (158-of-305) from the field over its last five games. The team boasts a season field goal percentage of 44.6%, which would be the most efficient clip for the program since the 1990-91 season, when the Dukes shot 45.1%.

PEYTON'S CAREER STATS

Playing her fifth season of collegiate basketball, Peyton McDaniel has placed herself in the top 15 of career rankings in eight categories: three-point attempts (1st - 913), points (2nd - 2,131), three-pointers (2nd - 321), field goal attempts (2nd - 1,748), field goals made (3rd - 761), three-point attempts per game (4th - 6.38), games played (T-6th - 144), and rebounds (14th - 946).

MILESTONE TRACKER

With 2,131 career points, Peyton McDaniel is 217 points away from passing Precious Hall (2012-2017) for second in all-time scoring at JMU, tallying 2,347 in her career. For McDaniel, if she maintains her season scoring average of 18.3, she can move into second in 12 games.
With 993 points at JMU, Ashanti Barnes needs seven more to become the 35th member of the program's 1,000-point club.