Women’s Hoops Charge Past Old Dominion, Set for Championship Game

Sunday, March 5

Pensacola, Fla.

12:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. CT)

James Madison University

25-7,13-5Sun Belt

Old Dominion

22-12,12-6Sun Belt

Old Dominion

James Madison

Women’s Hoops Charge Past Old Dominion, Set for Championship Game

3/5/2023 5:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Press Conference Photo Gallery

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Senior Kiki Jefferson scored 12 of the Dukes' 23 fourth-quarter points to hold off Old Dominion, 70-64, and advance to the Sun Belt Championship game.

JMU now owns a 25-7 record and has won seven of its last eight games. ODU wrapped up its time in Pensacola with a 22-12 mark.

Jefferson finished with 22 points and seven rebounds while, junior center Kseniia Kozlova dropped 20 points and grabbed six boards. Both caused havoc in the paint, drawing five fouls, and sinking a combined 11-of-13 (84.6%) from the charity stripe.

Junior Jamia Hazell registered 10 points on 4-of-9 (44.4%) shooting from the field, posting five points in the fourth quarter. Classmate Kobe King-Hawea was tough on the glass, leading all players with eight rebounds.

How It Happened

It was a low-scoring affair in the first quarter, with Dukes holding a 9-8 advantage after one.
The second period saw the JMU offense coming alive for 22 points, seven from Kozlova. James Madison shot an efficient 9-of-15 (60.0%) from the field, while Old Dominion managed to add 12 points to trail 31-20.
The Dukes led by as many as 16, 38-22, with 7:35 on the clock in the third period. However, the Monarchs fought back to tie the game at 45 with 0:53 remaining in the quarter.
Hazell hit a tough floater in the waning seconds to give James Madison a 47-45 edge heading into the final frame.
Old Dominion's Mikayla Brown knocked a jumpshot 20 seconds into the fourth to tie the game at 47 all. The Dukes responded by pulling ahead 53-47, highlighted by a Jefferson triple at the 7:56 mark.
James Madison increased its lead to seven, 66-59, with 0:42 left on the clock thanks to a mid-range jumper from Hazell. However, the Monarchs connected on a quick three and made a pair of free throws to trail by two, 66-64, with 0:26 left on the game clock.
From there, Jefferson and graduate student Caroline Germond hit four free throws to close the game out for a 70-64 JMU victory.

Game Notes

JMU trails in the all-time series against Old Dominion, 53-28. Additionally, the Dukes have not lost to the Monarchs since Jan. 9, 2011.
With the semifinal victory, James Madison takes an 11.5-2.5 lead over ODU in the inaugural TowneBank Royal Rivalry Challenge. The Dukes have now earned a point in each of the past seven JMU-ODU meetings, dating back to mid-November.
Additionally, James Madison is set to appear in a conference title game for the first time since the 2016-17 season when it fell to Elon in the CAA Championship game, 78-60, on March 11.
Jefferson and Kozlova's 20-plus outings marked the first time a pair of Dukes have reached the 20-point plateau in the same game since junior Peyton McDaniel and Jefferson achieved the feat versus Troy on Jan. 21, with 28 and 21 points, respectively.
For Jefferson, her 22-point effort was her 15th in 2022-23 with 20 or more points.
With 10 points versus Marshall (March 3, 2023) and Old Dominion, Hazell has recorded back-to-back games in double figures for the first time since defeating App State (14 points - Jan. 12) and Southern Miss (10 points - Jan. 7), part of a three-game double-digit streak for the junior.
The team is 23-0 this season when entering the fourth with a lead. Moreover, Head Coach Sean O'Regan's squad is 19-4 when holding the advantage at halftime.
James Madison earned the win despite registering fewer points off of turnovers (15-8), total rebounds (36-35), second-chance points (15-5), and bench points (26-7). However, the Dukes did damage in the paint, recording 34 points to the Monarchs' 22.
JMU shot 25-of-52 (48.1%) from the field, which ties for the fourth-most efficient outing for the team this season.

Up Next
James Madison will face No. 2 seed Texas State. The championship game will take place on Sunday, March 6 at 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET) and will air on ESPNU.