Dukes Clinch Regular Season Title, Pick Up 12th Road Win at App State

Wednesday, February 22

Boone, N.C.

6:30 p.m.

James Madison University

23-6,13-4Sun Belt

App State

9-19,5-12Sun Belt

James Madison

App State

Dukes Clinch Regular Season Title, Pick Up 12th Road Win at App State

2/22/2023 10:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Highlights

BOONE, N.C. – James Madison outscored App State 25-11 in the final quarter to come away with a 78-62 victory on Wednesday night inside the Holmes Convocation Center. With the win and a loss by Troy to Southern Miss, 88-79, the Dukes have won at least a share of the regular season Sun Belt Conference title.

JMU improves to 23-6 (13-4 SBC) with only one regular-season game remaining. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers fall to 9-20 (5-13) and look to pick up win No. 10 when they host ULM on Friday.

Four Dukes scored in double figures, led by junior Peyton McDaniel with 18. McDaniel shot 4-of-10 (40.0%) from three and tied her career-high with 10 rebounds to earn her first career double-double. Kiki Jefferson dropped 17 points on 6-of-12 (50.0%) from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Graduate student Caroline Germond tallied 10 points and dished out three assists, while Kobe King-Hawea scored 10 points highlighted by a trio of triples.

How It Happened

App State came out swinging, starting the game 6-of-11 (54.5%) from the floor for a 16-12 lead at the 3:47 mark of the first quarter.
Emily Carver was huge for the Mountaineers with eight points in the opening frame as App State held a 20-19 edge after one.
JMU was cold to begin the second quarter, going 0-for-10 before the media timeout at 4:53.
The Dukes found a rhythm at both ends of the floor late in the second, holding App State scoreless for the final 3:04 and closing on a 7-0 run. The Mountaineers still owned a 33-30 lead at the intermission.
Jefferson converted on an and-one opportunity to put the Dukes up 36-35 early in the period.
Germond added six points in the frame to help give James Madison a 53-51 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
The Dukes built a seven-point lead, 58-51, at the 9:05 mark of the final quarter.
From there, JMU went scoreless for the next 3:39 until McDaniel sunk a pair of free throws to make it 60-55.
James Madison then saw its lead grow to 12 with 2:43 remaining, owning a 70-58 advantage.
The Dukes continued to pull away to earn a 78-62 win. Jefferson scored eight points in the fourth quarter, sinking 3-of-3 from the line.

Game Notes

Including their time in the Colonial Athletic Association, the Dukes have earned the No. 1 seed in conference play 12 times.
With the top spot secured in the SBC, JMU secures a double-bye into the quarterfinal where it will face the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 contest, which will feature Coastal Carolina and Marshall. The Chanticleers and Herd are locked into those two spots in either order.
The Dukes' game against Coastal Carolina or Marshall is set for Friday, March 1 at 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET).
James Madison owns a 5-1 lead in the all-time series against App State, winning the last four. The victory is the Dukes' first in Boone, N.C.
JMU shot 38.1% from three, the most efficient night for the team since going 9-for-22 (40.9%) versus App on Jan. 12.
The Dukes made 22-of-29 (75.9%) from the line, the fifth time in the last six games in which the team has shot above 70.0%. Moreover, the team only missed one free throw in the second half with an 18-for-19 (94.7%) performance.
Head Coach Sean O'Regan's squad grabbed 48 rebounds, the third-best effort in conference play behind its 50 at South Alabama (Feb. 2) and 49 versus Arkansas State (Feb. 11).
Additionally, James Madison held App State to just three offensive rebounds tied with South Alabama (Feb. 2) for the second-fewest by a JMU opponent. The Dukes did not allow Millersville to record a single offensive rebound on Nov. 9.
JMU out-rebounded the Mountaineers 48-31 for a rebounding margin of +17, the second-best margin in conference play behind its +18 showing against South Alabama on. Feb. 2. The Dukes have won the rebounding battle by double figures 10 times this season and four times in conference play.
James Madison led for only 14:03. JMU trailed 31-20 with 4:27 left in the second quarter. From that point on, the Dukes outscored the Mountaineers 58-31.
JMU is now 21-0 when leading heading into the fourth quarter in 2022-23.