JMU Women Set for No. 6 Southern Miss Friday in Sun Belt Quarterfinals

Friday, March 8

Pensacola, Fla.

6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT)

James Madison University

Southern Miss

3/6/2024 8:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

No. 3 James Madison Dukes (21-10) vs. No. 6 Southern Miss Lady Eagles (18-12)

March 8, 2024 - 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT)

Pensacola, Fla. - Pensacola Bay Center

Game Links
Tickets · Live Stats · ESPN+ · Audio Broadcast

JMU OPENS SUN BELT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP WITH SOUTHERN MISS IN QUARTERFINALS

Third-seeded James Madison will have a double bye into the Sun Belt quarterfinals and will open up postseason play at the Pensacola Bay Center on Friday, March 8, against No. 6 Southern Miss. Tip time is slated for 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT) and will stream on ESPN+.
The Lady Eagles advanced to the quarters with a 70-53 victory over No. 11 Coastal Carolina in Wednesday's second round.
The Dukes are coming off a third-place finish in the Sun Belt regular season, winning four of its last five games on their way to a 13-5 league record.
Marshall earned the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt Women's Championship after posting a 17-1 mark against conference foes. Troy finished 15-3 to pick up the No. 2 seed, while Old Dominion was the last team to earn a double bye with a 12-4 league record.
For more information, click to visit the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Championship page. Tickets remain available through Ticketmaster.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

With a win, JMU will advance to conference semifinals for second time in as many seasons as a member of the Sun Belt. The Dukes would play in the second semifinal game on Sunday, March 10 at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT).
James Madison holds a 19-14 (.576) record in league semifinal games and 55-11 mark as a higher seed.
A victory would also mean JMU will face the winner of No. 2 Troy vs. No. 7 Louisiana/No. 10 Arkansas State.
James Madison trailed 43-33 at the 5:33 mark of the third quarter before outscoring the Red Wolves 31-14 down the stretch to earn a 64-57 victory on Jan. 4 inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center.
Kseniia Kozlova scored 20 points to help push the Dukes past Louisiana in overtime, 77-72, in Harrisonburg on Jan. 6
Lastly, the Trojans utilized a 31-point third quarter to propel past James Madison, 87-74, on Jan. 11 at Trojan Arena.

JMU IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS

James Madison holds a 58-28 (.674) overall record in league tournaments across the program's time in the CAA (1984-2022) and Sun Belt Conference (2022-Pres.).
The Dukes have won at least one conference tournament game in 34 of their 38 appearances. The program is 27-5 in quarterfinal games and 19-14 in the semifinals.
JMU is 10-9 in championship games and has won the title in six of its last seven appearances.

LAST TIME VS. SOUTHERN MISS

Peyton McDaniel recorded a career-high 33 points on 13-of-18 (.722) from the field, as James Madison women's basketball outlasted Southern Miss, 81-76, inside the Reed Green Coliseum on Jan. 11.
McDaniel knocked down 4-of-8 (.500) from three and came away with two steals. Jamia Hazell (12), senior Hevynne Bristow (11) and Annalicia Goodman (10) each scored in double figures.
Bristow's scored 11 points, while her nine rebounds set a then-personal best. Olivia Mullins led all players with five assists, while Ashanti Barnes rejected a career-high three shots and grabbed seven boards.
The Dukes held an advantage over the Lady Eagles in points in the paint (38-36), bench points (34-9), and fast break points (21-16).
There were 17 lead changes in the contest.

NCAA RANKING SUMMARY (AS OF MARCH 6)

James Madison owns five top-30 marks in Division I: defensive rebounds per game (3rd - 31.7), rebounds per game (4th - 46.61), rebound margin (5th - +10.7), bench points per game (11th - 27.3) and offensive rebounds per game (19th - 14.9).

IN THE RANKINGS

James Madison is coming in at 25th in the CollegeInsider.Com Mid-Major Top 25 poll as of March 5. Head Coach Sean O'Regan has seen his program ranked as high as eighth four times so far this season.
The Dukes came in at 11th in the latest NCAA Net Rankings through games on March 6, while James Madison's highest ranking in 2023-24 was 98th through games on Jan. 11. JMU is the third-highest in the Sun Belt Conference behind Marshall (77th) and Troy (108th).