CONWAY, S.C. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison held Coastal Carolina without a made field goal for the final 3:41 to hold on for a 71-68 victory to open Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball action on Wednesday night at the HTC Center.
Tied 68-68 with 0:23 on the clock, Barnes found a wide-open Zakiya Stephenson on the wing who knocked down the triple, ultimately giving JMU its 10th consecutive conference-opening win.
The Dukes (9-4, 1-0 Sun Belt) connected on 7-of-16 (.438) from the field and forced the Chanticleers (6-6, 0-1 Sun Belt) to commit six turnovers in the fourth to come away with the victory.
Stephenson scored a career-high 16 points, knocking down 3-of-7 (.429) from three and a perfect 5-of-5 from the line. The junior also recorded a game-high four steals and dished out three assists.
Ashanti finished with 14 points – scoring seven in the final frame – and led all players with nine rebounds. Bree Robinson tied her career high with three makes from long range and produced five helpers. Bri McLeod supplied 10 points, five boards and two blocks in 21:05 off the bench.
Grace McDonough had an efficient eight points on 4-of-5 (.800) from the floor, while Peyton McDaniel chipped in with seven rebounds, six points and a pair of blocks.
CCU had three players score in double figures, led by Tessa Grady (19), followed by Kristin Williams (18) and Kinsea Grimes (16). The Dukes stifled Williams, who finished with six turnovers, including two in the final quarter.
How It Happened
First Quarter – CCU 18, JMU 15
• Coastal forced seven turnovers and converted them into five points
• Robinson knocked down a pair of threes and dished out three assists, while the Dukes outrebounded the Chanticleers 15-6.
Second Quarter – CCU 36, JMU 33
• CCU used an 8-0 run to take a 29-22 lead which coincided with three turnovers in a 2:23 stretch for the Dukes.
• JMU held the Chanticleers without a made field goal for the final 3:06, but the Dukes shot 1-of-7 (.143) to end the half.
• James Madison held a 30-14 advantage on the boards.
Third Quarter – CCU 55, JMU 51
• JMU hit five of its last seven shots, while Coastal went without a field goal in a 4:34 span as the Dukes gained a 46-44 edge halfway through the period.
• CCU clawed back with a quick 8-0 run late in the period to take a 55-51 lead heading into the break, with JMU going scoreless for the final 3:14.
Fourth Quarter
• An early 6-0 run in 0:55 put the Dukes ahead 60-57 and forced a Coastal timeout at the 8:17 mark.
• After Stephenson converted on an and-one to give JMU a 63-60 lead, the Dukes failed to score for the next 4:43 with Coastal on top 66-63.
• Down three, Barnes drove to the right block and scored
Game Notes
• James Madison held an advantage (44-34), points in the paint (32-22), bench points (17-11) and second-chance points (15-9).
• Stephenson led the Dukes in scoring for the first time her career.
• McLeod finished in double figures for the second time in her career.
• With 132 career games, McDaniel tied Kirby Burkholder (2010-14) for the 10th-most games played in program history.
— JMU Athletics —
