Dukes Hold Off App State for 73-64 Win

Thursday, January 12

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

15-2,5-0Sun Belt

App State

6-10,2-3Sun Belt

App State

James Madison

1/12/2023 10:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison led App State 64-62 with 1:52 remaining in the game before closing out on a 9-2 run for the 73-64 victory Thursday night inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

JMU's (15-2, 5-0 SBC) unbeaten mark in Sun Belt play continues, the first time the Dukes have started 5-0 in conference play since the 2017-18 season. The Mountaineers (6-10, 2-3 SBC) wrap up their road trip at Georgia Southern on Jan. 14.

Senior Kiki Jefferson dropped 21 points in the win, seven of which came in the final period. The guard shot 8-for-14 (57.1%) from the field and 2-of-3 (66.7%) from three-point land. Juniors Jamia Hazell and Kseniia Kozlova chipped in with 14 points apiece. Hazell knocked down 3-of-5 (60.0%) shots from behind the arc, the most triples for her in a game this season. Graduate student Caroline Germond dished out six assists and recorded two steals. Jefferson and Kozlova pulled down nine and eight rebounds, respectively. Kozlova finished the night with a career-high four blocks.

How It Happened

Jefferson and Kozlova teamed up to score six points each as the Dukes shot an efficient 8-of-11 (72.7%) for a 23-17 first-quarter lead.
The Mountaineers cut the deficit to 32-30 at the 4:55 mark of the second period. James Madison responded by closing the half on a 7-0 run to make it 39-30 JMU heading into the intermission.
Four Dukes knocked down three-pointers in the second frame: Hazell, Sterling, Jefferson, and Germond.
JMU led by as much as 21 with a score of 56-35 with 4:18 to go in the third, however, App State responded with a huge 25-5 sprint. The Mountaineers found themselves down by one with 3:43 remaining in the game as the score read 61-60.
Jefferson and Germond both scored three points each in the final three-plus minutes, highlighted by an and-one to put the Dukes up seven, 69-62, with 1:18 to play.
A tough layup by junior Claire Neff with 0:39 on the clock helped seal the deal as the Dukes held on to win 73-64.

Game Notes

James Madison owns a 4-1 edge in the all-time series against App State.
The Dukes improve to 5-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2017-18 season. They are the only undefeated team in Sun Belt play, while Southern Miss and Troy each have a 4-1 mark against league competition.
The last time James Madison had a winning streak of 10 or more in a single season was 13 straight in 2018-19. That season, the Dukes won every game between Jan. 20 - March 9 before falling to Hofstra, 57-50, in the CAA Quarterfinals on March 14.
JMU shot 25-of-52 (48.1%) from the field, the team's fourth-most efficient shooting night of the season. Their best outing was against Queens (N.C.) when the Dukes made 52.4% (33-of-63) of their shots on Nov. 13.
Conversely, App State connected on 10-of-27 (37.0%) from three, the best performance from behind the arc of any JMU opponent this season.
James Madison knocked down 40.9% (9-of-22) of its attempts from deep, the third time it has reached the 40%-plus plateau.
The Dukes posted a rebounding margin of +16 (41-25). In 2022-23, the team out-rebounded opponents by double figures seven times.
Jefferson's 21-point performance marked her eighth of the season scoring 20-plus.
Germond dropped six dimes against the Mountaineers. She has now recorded five or more assists for the fifth time in a JMU uniform.
JMU recorded nine steals with three swipes from Jefferson, and two from Germond and Kozlova. Nine steals is the second-best effort by the Dukes behind their 10-steal outing against Southern Miss on Jan. 7.

Up Next
The homestand continues for the Dukes as they host Georgia State on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4 p.m. The game will serve as the first of a doubleheader as the men take on Georgia Southern at 7 p.m.