Second-Half Surge Pushes JMU Past Davidson in WBIT First Round

Thursday, March 20

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

29-5,18-0Sun Belt

Davidson

19-14,13-5Atlantic 10

Davidson

James Madison

Second-Half Surge Pushes JMU Past Davidson in WBIT First Round

3/20/2025 10:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Four players scored in doubles figures, and James Madison dominated the fourth quarter en route to a 77-50 victory against Davidson on Thursday night at the Atlantic Union Bank Center in the opening round of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.

JMU (29-5), which tied its single-season program record for wins, advances to Sunday's WBIT Second Round where it hosts Marquette in a 4 p.m. tipoff. Marquette (21-10) moved on to face the Dukes after a 74-69 win at Drake earlier on Thursday.

With the win, JMU, the top seed in its WBIT region, is now 4-0 all-time against Davidson (19-14) and 2-0 in postseason tournaments over the Wildcats, having also won the opening round of the 2012 WNIT.

Kseniia Kozlova recorded her eighth double-double of the season with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Ro Scott scored 16 points off the bench, hitting two of JMU's five second-half 3-pointers. Peyton McDaniel netted 14 points, while Bree Robinson tied her career high with 12 points.

JMU led by just two points early in the second half before a run stretched its lead to double digits. Davidson cut it back to just six points late in the third before the Dukes opened the fourth on a 13-0 run to put the game away. JMU outscored Davidson 28-9 in the final 10 minutes for its largest-scoring fourth quarter of the season.

Davidson was paced by Issy Morgan, who scored 11 points, while Candice Lienafa added 10. Both Wildcats hits six of the team's nine treys.

JMU shot 52% in the second half (16/31) and finished 48% for the game (28/59) while holding the Wildcats to 31% shooting (19/61). Davidson controlled the glass for the first three quarters but JMU's 11-4 lead in the fourth allowed for the Dukes to finish ahead by a 42-37 margin.

How It Happened
First Quarter – Davidson 12, JMU 11

Davidson jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the opening minute, sparked by an opening-possession three from Mallorie Haines.
DC led 9-5 midway through the quarter before Kozlova gave JMU its first lead, at 10-9, scoring five straight with an old-fashioned, three-point play and a made jumper.
The Wildcats went over four minutes without a point until Lienafa knocked down a triple from the left wing to give the visitors the lead back, at 12-10 with 1:08 to go.
Despite shooting 26% in the quarter (5/19), Davidson held a slim 12-11 lead after one. JMU shot 36% (4/11), and DC held a 12-10 lead on the boards.

Second Quarter – JMU 32, Davidson 27

Tomisin Adenupe opened the frame with a 3-pointer to move Davidson's lead to 15-11.
JMU responded with a 13-0 run, as Robinson knocked down a pair of shots and McDaniel went coast-to-coast to lift JMU to a 24-15 lead, its largest of the half.
The Wildcats scored six in a row off a Lienafa trey and Charlise Dunn three-point play to climb within a few, but JMU came right back with an 8-3 surge to lead 32-24 late in the half. A Davidson three made it 32-27 at the break.
JMU shot over 50% in the second, going 8/17 while committing no turnovers.
For the half JMU was at 43% (12/28), as opposed to Davidson's 29% (10/34). The Dukes also scored 24 of their 32 first-half points in the paint.

Third Quarter – JMU 49, Davidson 41

Davidson began the third the same way it did the first and second with a 3-pointer, closing JMU's lead to 32-30.
JMU clamped down on defense, going on a 10-2 run over the next five minutes, as back-to-back treys from Robinson and Scott gave JMU its largest lead of the game to that point, at 42-32. The threes were also the first of the game for JMU.
JMU led by as many as 11 in the quarter, at 45-34, but Davidson cut it back to six before a Scott layup closed the third with JMU ahead 49-41.

Fourth Quarter – JMU 77, Davidson 50

JMU had its best start to a quarter in the final one, as it opened on a 13-0 run with 6:18 to go, taking control at 62-41. JMU connected on three straight treys, all by different players, as the Dukes held the Wildcats without a point for the first 3:52.
JMU shot 67% (10/15) in the final 10 minutes, including making all three 3-point attempts to outscore DC 28-9.
Davidson never drew closer than 20 over the final five minutes, as JMU finished with a 7-0 spurt over the final 2:15.

Game Notes

JMU committed just two turnovers over the final three quarters and only seven for the game. It was the fewest turnovers for the Dukes since they had six at Georgia State on Jan. 28, 2023.
The win for JMU was its first NCAA postseason victory since a 72-63 triumph over sixth-seeded Gonzaga in the 2014 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship in College Station, Texas.
JMU dominated the paint by a 42-18 margin.
After missing on its first eight 3-point attempts, JMU converted five of its final eight shots from long range.
JMU went to the free throw line 17 more times than Davidson, making 16 of 23, as opposed to DC's three of six.
JMU had 33 points off the bench, while Davidson's reserves contributed 23.
JMU had seven steals, resulting in 10 fastbreak points. Davidson was held without a point in transition.
Davidson had six blocks, to JMU's three.
JMU led for the final 27:09 of regulation.