Hot Start Leads No. 3 JMU Past No. 6 Southern Miss, 77-49, in Sun Belt Quarters

Friday, March 8

Pensacola, Fla.

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

James Madison University

22-10,13-5Sun Belt

Southern Miss

18-13,10-8Sun Belt

Southern Miss.

James Madison

Hot Start Leads No. 3 JMU Past No. 6 Southern Miss, 77-49, in Sun Belt Quarters

3/8/2024 8:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Third-seeded James Madison produced a 17-point run early in the game, and guard Peyton McDaniel recorded a double-double to lead the Dukes to a 77-49 victory over sixth-seeded Southern Miss on Friday evening in the quarterfinal round of the Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Championship at the Pensacola Bay Center.

The Dukes improve to 22-10 on the season and advance to Sunday's semifinals against the winner of No. 2 Troy and No. 7 Louisiana. The game will tip off on March 10 at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT) on ESPN+. With the loss, the Lady Eagles end their season at 18-13.

McDaniel led the charge with game highs of 21 points (7/20 FG) and 11 rebounds to post her seventh double-double of the season and the eighth of her career. Forward Ashanti Barnes scored 15 points and nabbed nine boards, while guard Hevynne Bristow came off the bench for 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting with six rebounds.

JMU shot 41 percent (27/66) for the game while holding Southern Miss to just 27 percent (17/64). The Dukes dominated the boards on both ends, finishing with a 58-33 rebounds advantage, including 21-12 on the offensive glass.

James Madison opened the game with a 17-point surge and led by as many as 34 points en route to the quarterfinal win. It was the Duke's largest win in the three-game series with Southern Miss by a wide margin and its biggest against a league opponent this season.

Southern Miss was paced by 18 points apiece from Domonique Davis and Nyla Jean, as both tied for game-high honors with four three pointers made.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter – JMU 24, Southern Miss 8

Southern Miss made the game's opening basket before before back-to-back treys by McDaniel sparked a 17-point run over a span of 4:35 to take a 17-2 lead just over halfway through the first.
JMU shot 45.5 percent (10/22) from the floor in the opening stanza and out-rebounded Southern Miss by a 15-8 margin.
McDaniel and Barnes each scored eight to lead the JMU charge, with Barnes going 4-for-4 from the floor in the opening 10.

Second Quarter – JMU 44, Southern Miss 18

JMU ballooned its lead to as many as 34 points, at 44-10, late in the first half, which was its third-largest lead of the season and its biggest against a Sun Belt foe.
Southern Miss closed the frame with eight in a row to narrow JMU's hefty advantage to 26.
Bristow paced the Dukes in the period, registering seven points, three rebounds and a block off the bench to finish the half with 11 points.
She was one of three Dukes in double figures in the half, as both McDaniel and Barnes had 12 points.

Third Quarter – JMU 61, Southern Miss 37

The third proved to be the most balanced period of the game, and the only one Southern Miss would outscore the Dukes (19-17).
The Eagles drew within 20, at 53-33, but Kseniia Kozlova's first bucket since missing the final six games of the regular season sparked a mini 5-0 run, getting the lead back to 25.
Annalicia Goodman led the Dukes with her first five points on the game, hitting her only field goal and all three free throws.
Davis scored nine for Southern Miss, leading all scorers in the period, while Jean had eight.
JMU was held to just 28 percent (5/18) in the period but managed to convert 70 percent (7/10) from the free-throw line.

Fourth Quarter – JMU 77, Southern Miss 49

Southern Miss opened the fourth on a 5-0 run in the opening 100 seconds, trimming JMU's lead to 61-42 with 8:20 remaining.
JMU turned the ball over eight times, but Southern Miss was unable to narrow its deficit to smaller than 18 the rest of the way (65-47).
JMU closed strong, holding the Eagles to two points over the final 4:33 and scoring the game's final eight points to win by 28.
McDaniel capped off her day by scoring seven and adding a pair of rebounds in the fourth to secure her double-double.

GAME NOTES

JMU led nearly wire-to-wire, holding an advantage for the final 39:03, while Southern Miss led for a total of just 20 seconds after making its first shot.
The Dukes improved to 3-0 all-time against Southern Miss, and also remain perfect at the Pensacola Bay Center, at 4-0.
JMU's 17-point run in the first was its second-largest scoring run of the season (18 vs. Eastern Mennonite on Nov. 6) and its biggest against a Division I foe.
McDaniel made at least three treys for the 13th time this season and has scored in doubles figures in 24 games this season. She also surpassed 20 points for the 10th time in 2023-24.
Barnes recorded double-figure scoring for the ninth time this year, while Bristow went over 10 for the seventh time.
In addition to shooting and rebounding, JMU also led the way from the free-throw line, at 71 percent (17/24), while Southern Miss was at 70 percent (7/10).
The Dukes outscored the Eagles 25-10 on second-chance points, 34-16 in the paint, and 12-2 on the fastbreak.
JMU dished out 15 assists on its 27 made shots, and Southern Miss had 10 dimes on 17 made field goals.
Making their 39th all-time conference tournament appearance, JMU has now won at least a game in 35 trips.
Since joining the Sun Belt, JMU has won 30 of 40 meetings with league foes.