Strong Second Half Pushes Dukes Past Maine, 78-71

Sunday, December 17

Orono, Maine

1 p.m.

James Madison University

8-3,0-0Sun Belt

Maine

6-5,0-0America East

James Madison

Maine

12/17/2023 4:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ORONO, Maine – James Madison women's basketball held Maine to 3-of-19 (.158) from three in the second half to overcome the Black Bears with a 78-71 victory inside Memorial Gym on Sunday afternoon.

Maine (6-5) led by as many as 12 (41-29) with 1:41 left in the second quarter, to which JMU (8-3) answered with 29 points in the third.

Redshirt sophomore Peyton McDaniel registered a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while redshirt junior Kseniia Kozlova tied her season-high with 20 points. Classmate Steph Ouderkirk recorded a career-best eight assists. Olivia Mullins had an efficient outing, tying her season-high of nine points to go along with six helpers. Senior Hevynne Bristow finished with six points and seven rebounds in her JMU debut.

Anne Simon paced all scorers with 34 points, connecting on 8-of-18 (.444) three-pointers. Adrianna Smith posted 19 points and nine rebounds, while Jaycie Christopher had 11 in the loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter

The Dukes built a 12-4 lead at the first media timeout, with six points from Kozlova.
Maine responded by knocking five three-pointers to give the Black Bears a 21-16 advantage after one.

Second Quarter

A physical layup from redshirt junior Jamia Hazell cut the deficit to two (26-24) at the 7:07 mark.
Maine began to pull away with another five triples in the frame for a 41-33 lead at the break.

Third Quarter

Kozlova made a pair of layups to make it 44-39 just over two minutes into the third.
The Dukes continued to fight, taking a 51-50 lead with a three from Ouderkirk before the media timeout.
JMU held on to a 62-57 advantage with one quarter to go.

Four Quarter

Kozlova maneuvered to the basket for her 20th point to give the Dukes a 68-62 lead at the media timeout.
Hazell scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in the final frame.
Maine was held to 1-of-10 from three as the Dukes held on for a 78-71 victory.

GAME NOTES

James Madison leads Maine in the all-time series, 4-3.
The Dukes held an advantage in points in the paint (48-24) and fast break points (12-0). Additionally, JMU went 12-for-15 (.800), while the Black Bears were 4-of-5 (.800).
JMU shot a season-best 55.4% (31-56) from the field and won the rebounding battle, 49-30.
Maine scored 21 points in the first quarter -- the most the Dukes have given up in the first quarter this season.
The Black Bears attempted 43 shots from three, the most by a JMU opponent in program history.
McDaniel's double-double was her fourth of the season and fifth in her career.
Kozlova has registered back-to-back games with 20-plus points, scoring 20 versus William & Mary (Dec. 7).
The Dukes are 23-0 when scoring 70 or more points since the 2022-23 season.

UP NEXT
The Dukes head south to face Maryland on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Action in College Park, Md. is set for 2 p.m. and will stream on Big Ten Plus.