HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison women’s basketball shot a season-best 55.4% on 31-of-56 from the field in an 81-63 victory over VCU on Sunday afternoon inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center for the Dukes’ 13th-straight win against the Rams.
JMU (8-3) never trailed but found itself tied with the Rams (3-6) twice in the third quarter. The Dukes’ efficient outing was aided by going 16-for-25 (.640) from the floor in the first half and converting 24-of-31 (.774) layups.
Ashanti Barnes (18), Peyton McDaniel (17) and Grace McDonough (11) combined for 46 of the Dukes’ 81 points. Barnes stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with nine rebounds, two blocks, two steals and two assists to go along with her scoring output.
McDaniel pulled down 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and the 25th in her career. Additionally, the redshirt senior passed Kamiah Smalls (2016-20) in career scoring with 1,891 points and moved ahead of Kirby Burkholder (2010-14) in three-pointers with 292, now sitting in fourth in both categories in program history.
McDonough’s offensive performance marked her fourth in double-digits, with all 11 of her points coming in the second half.
Bree Robinson and Zakiya Stephenson each dished out six assists, while Brianna McLeod recorded three blocks off the bench. Delilah Soltys came in as a reserve, tying her career high with eight points.
VCU also had three players score in double figures, paced by Patricia Augustin and Cyriah Griffin with 14 apiece. Katarina Knezevic finished with 12 points and was limited to 4-of-15 (.267) from the field. Daija Preston produced a game-best four steals in the loss.
How It Happened
First Quarter – JMU 19, VCU 12
• VCU called a timeout at the 5:50 mark after a three-pointer followed by a steal and score by Robinson gave the Dukes a 10-2 start.
• The Rams closed on a 5-0 run to trail 19-12 after one.
Second Quarter – JMU 40, VCU 32
• VCU made six of its last seven from the field to cut the deficit to four (31-27) halfway through the frame.
• JMU finished the half on a 6-0 scoring spurt, not allowing the Rams to score for the final 2:25.
• The Dukes produced a highly efficient first half, shooting 16-of-25 (.640) from the floor.
Third Quarter – JMU 60, VCU 55
• A quick five points by McDonough gave JMU a 45-34 lead at the 8:26 mark, however, the Rams fought back to make it a one-point game (50-9) at the media timeout.
• VCU tied the game twice in the final 3:08, but McDaniel and Barnes combined for nine points down the stretch to put the Dukes ahead 60-55 at the break.
Fourth Quarter – JMU 81, VCU 63
• JMU dominated the final period, not allowing the Rams to score until a free throw at 5:25 and holding them without a made field goal until 3:20 to play.
• The 15-1 run gave the Dukes their biggest lead of the game (75-56) with under four minutes remaining.
• JMU committed one turnover in the quarter, while VCU went 2-of-11 (.182) from the field.
Game Notes
• James Madison held an advantage in points in the paint (48-26), fast-break points (26-10) and points off turnovers (15-11).
• Today’s 55.4% from the field is the program’s highest since shooting 58.2% (32-of-55) at Marshall in a 72-63 win on Feb. 3, 2024.
• JMU has scored 80-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
• McLeod has recorded multiple blocks in five of her last six games, producing 16 rejections in that span.
— JMU Athletics —
