James Madison University advanced to the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Championship game after defeating top-seeded Georgia Southern 81-53 in the semifinals on Mar. 8. The Dukes, seeded fourth, dominated the rebounding battle and held their opponent to just 36.7% shooting from the field.
The win allows James Madison to compete for the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championship against No. 2 Troy on Monday. This marks the fourth consecutive season that JMU has reached the title game, making them the first four-seed or lower to do so since South Alabama in 2019.
Peyton McDaniel led James Madison with 25 points, five rebounds, and three steals, marking her fourth game this season with at least 25 points. Ashanti Barnes recorded her eleventh double-double of the year with 15 points and ten rebounds. Bree Robinson contributed ten points, while Zakiya Stephenson added nine points and six assists with only one turnover. Off the bench, Brianna McLeod provided nine rebounds, eight points, and two blocks.
Georgia Southern was led by Kyla Bryant with 17 points and three steals. Desitny Garrett scored ten points and had a team-best three assists. Kishyah Anderson, named Sun Belt Player of the Year, was limited to eight points on two-of-eight shooting.
James Madison controlled several aspects of play including a significant advantage in second-chance points (25-0), points in the paint (48-24), and points off turnovers (19-4). The Dukes also prevented Georgia Southern from recording any offensive rebounds while collecting a total of 45 themselves compared to just sixteen for their opponent—the fewest by a JMU opponent this century based on available records.
Looking ahead, James Madison will face Troy for a chance at an NCAA tournament spot as they continue their streak of appearances in conference championship games.
