JMU Overcomes Early Deficit to Upend Louisiana, 68-63

Thursday, January 2

Lafayette, La.

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

James Madison University

10-4,2-0Sun Belt

Louisiana

5-6,1-1Sun Belt

James Madison

Louisiana

1/2/2025 9:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

LAFAYETTE, La. – Trailing by 13 points (20-7) inside the Cajundome late in the first quarter, James Madison women's basketball shot 17-of-24 (.708) in the following two quarters, while Kseniia Kozlova tied her career high of 24 points to help lead the Dukes to a 68-63 comeback triumph over Louisiana on Thursday night.

JMU (10-4, 2-0 SBC) shot 49.0 percent (24-of-49) and 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from three to upend the Ragin' Cajuns (5-6, 1-1 SBC).

Kozlova finished 9-of-14 (.643) from the field to go along with eight rebounds, two steals and a season-high two blocks. Moreover, 22 of her 24 points came in the final three quarters. Peyton McDaniel hit 4-of-5 (.800) from deep for 14 points and came away with eight rebounds. Ro Scott registered 16 points off the bench, knocking down 3-of-6 (.500) from long range.

Angela Williams shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from three and grabbed six boards in 18 minutes of action. Zakiya Stephenson tied for a game-high three assists and produced two steals in the win.

Erica Lafayette notched 18 points, including going 10-for-10 from the free throw line and wrangling in a team-best eight rebounds. Nubia Benedith finished with 12 points, while Ashlyn Jones chipped in with nine.

How It Happened
First Quarter – Louisiana 20, JMU 10

Louisiana jumped out to an 8-0 lead at the 6:11 mark and went into the first media timeout with a 13-5 advantage.
The Cajuns scored 12 points off eight JMU turnovers to go ahead by double digits at the break.

Second Quarter – Louisiana 35, JMU 33

Trailing 23-15, the Dukes went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by a wing three-pointer from Williams to get within one (23-22) with 6:19 left in the half.
Williams produced eight points in the frame, knocking down a pair of threes to go along with two assists.

Third Quarter – JMU 55, Louisiana 50

Scott hit her third triple of the contest to make it 43-39 just under four minutes into the period.
Kozlova went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field for nine points to help give the Dukes a five-point edge (55-50) with one quarter left.

Fourth Quarter – JMU 68, Louisiana 63

The Cajuns suffered a 3:10 scoring drought as the Dukes took a 61-54 lead with under five minutes to play.
JMU registered eight points in the paint and sank 5-of-8 (.625) to hold off Louisiana for the 68-63 victory.

Game Notes

JMU is a perfect 5-0 all-time against Louisiana.
Kozlova's 24-point effort ties her highest offensive production since scoring 24 versus Old Dominion on Dec. 31, 2022.
The Dukes' 13-point comeback is their biggest deficit overcome since erasing a 14-point Maryland Eastern Shore lead (28-14) on Dec. 4, 2022.
With 14 points tonight, McDaniel is now 19th in program history in total points with (1,285), passing Missy Dudley who produced 1,284 in her career from 1985-1989.
The Dukes' 68 points tie for the most scored by an opponent at the Cajundome this season. Auburn defeated the Cajuns 68-51 in Lafayette earlier this season on Dec. 18.
Louisiana scored 27 points off 19 JMU turnovers, the most points an opponent has scored off turnovers this season against the Dukes.
James Madison's 47.4 percent clip (9-of-19) from behind the arc is the highest mark for the program this season.