PENSACOLA, Fla. (JMU Athletics) – Fourth-seeded James Madison dominated the glass, winning the rebounding battle 45-16, and held top-seeded Georgia Southern to 36.7% shooting (18-of-49) from the field for an 81-53 victory on Sunday afternoon in the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Championship semifinals, advancing to the title game for the fourth consecutive season.
JMU will take on No. 2 Troy (25-6, 15-3 Sun Belt) for the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championship on Monday at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT).
The Dukes (25-8, 14-4 Sun Belt) scored 25 second-chance points, while not allowing the Eagles (23-7, 16-2 Sun Belt) to come away with a single offensive rebound.
Peyton McDaniel dazzled with 25 points on 10-for-20 (.500) with five rebounds and three steals, marking her fourth game this season scoring 25 or more. Ashanti Barnes posted her 11th double-double of the year, recording a stat line of 15 points and 10 boards. Bree Robinson finished with 10 points, while Zakiya Stephenson added nine points and six assists with just one turnover.
Kyla Bryant led the way for Georgia Southern with 17 points on 6-of-10 (.600) with three steals. Desitny Garrett chipped in with 10 points and a team-best three assists. Kishyah Anderson – the Sun Belt Player of the Year – was held to 2-of-8 (.250) for eight points in the loss for the regular-season champions.
How It Happened
First Quarter – JMU 16, GS 10
• A defensive battle in the opening minutes, the Dukes owned a 6-3 lead at the opening media break as the Eagles were limited to 1-of-6 (.167) from the field.
• McDaniel finished with eight points in the first frame to help give JMU a 16-10 advantage at the break.
Second Quarter – JMU 36, GS 23
• A Kyla Bryant jumper tied the game at 21-21 at the 5:35 mark.
• JMU posted an 8-0 run as the Eagles went scoreless for the final 3:41.
• The Dukes shot 46.9% (15-of-32) from the floor in the first half compared to 34.8% (8-of-23) for Georgia Southern.
Third Quarter – JMU 56, GS 35
• The scoring spurt continued as the Dukes made the first three baskets for a 42-23 lead.
• Seven JMU players got on the board in the third, shooting 9-of-18 (.500) while committing just one turnover.
Fourth Quarter – JMU 81, GS 53
• Despite a 20-point effort by the Eagles, JMU poured in 25 on an efficient 11-of-15 (.733) from the field.
• Bryant had eight points in the final frame as Georgia Southern coughed up the ball just once.
Game Notes
• James Madison held an advantage in points in the paint (48-24), second-chance points (25-0), and points off turnovers (19-4).
• JMU is the first four-seed or lower to make the Sun Belt title game since fourth-seeded Troy did so in 2016, defeating No. 2 Little Rock in the championship game, 61-60.
• The Dukes are also the first team to appear in four consecutive Sun Belt title games since Middle Tennessee went to eight straight from 2003-2010.
• The four-seed is the lowest seed James Madison has had entering a conference tournament championship game.
• Sixteen rebounds are the fewest rebounds by a JMU opponent this century, based on available records.
— JMU Athletics —
