Dukes Clash With Georgia Southern Saturday

JMU WBB Game Preview vs Georgia Southern 011726

1/16/2026 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison women's basketball will complete its regular-season series against Georgia Southern with a Saturday afternoon showdown in Harrisonburg. The opening tip inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.

LAST TIME VS. THE EAGLES

Georgia Southern shot 55.2% (32-of-58) from the field, including 72.7% (8-of-11) in the fourth quarter, for a 78-70 victory over James Madison inside Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center on Jan. 7.
The Dukes fought back to trail 53-51 before the Eagles pulled away with an 11-2 run to keep JMU at bay.
Four Dukes scored in double figures, led by Ashanti Barnes (15), followed by Bree Robinson (14), Zakiya Stephenson (14), and Peyton McDaniel (10). McDaniel grabbed a team-best seven boards and recorded a pair of steals. Delilah Soltys scored a career-high nine points off the bench, while Brianna McLeod chipped in with eight points and two blocks.

THE DUKES VS. THE SUN BELT

James Madison holds a 103-72 (.589) record against current Sun Belt Conference foes and is 54-15 (.783) since joining the league in 2022.
Moreover, the Dukes are 48-13 (.787) in regular-season league matchups and had won 21 consecutive regular-season tilts prior to their 83-74 overtime loss to Marshall on Dec. 20, 2025.
James Madison has not lost a home game against a Sun Belt foe since dropping a 73-62 result to Georgia State on Feb. 15, 2024.
JMU has encountered Old Dominion more than any other SBC opponent with 85 meetings, with the Dukes trailing 53-32 in the all-time series. Additionally, ODU is the only team in the league with a winning record against JMU.
The Dukes have never lost to Louisiana (5-0), Southern Miss (4-0), Texas State (4-0), South Alabama (3-0), or ULM (2-0).

PEYTON'S CAREER STATS

Playing her fifth season of collegiate basketball, Peyton McDaniel has placed herself in the top 15 of career rankings in eight categories: three-pointers (2nd - 305), three-point attempts (2nd - 874), three-point attempts per game (3rd - 6.33), points (3rd - 2,008), field goals made (4th - 717), field goal attempts (4th - 1,662), games played (T-6th - 138), and rebounds (14th - 901).

MILESTONE TRACKER

With 2,008 career points, Peyton McDaniel is 114 points away from passing Tamera Young (2004-08) for third in all-time scoring at JMU, tallying 2,121 in her career.
If McDaniel maintains her career scoring average of 14.6 ppg, she'll reach 2,122 points in eight games.
For Ashanti Barnes, with 946 points across her time at Old Dominion (2021-22) and JMU (2023-Present), she is 54 shy of reaching 1,000 in her Division I Career.
If Barnes averages 11.0 ppg, she can reach 1,000 career points in five games.
The achievement would make Barnes the 35th member of the program's 1,000-point club.

NCAA RANKING SUMMARY

Through Jan. 15 games, JMU owns five top-75 marks nationally: rebounds per game (26th - 42.95), defensive rebounds per game (T-27th - 29.2), rebound margin (33rd - +8.2), blocks per game (62nd - 4.2), and scoring offense (72nd - 73.6).
Individually, Ashanti Barnes is 16th in rebounds (183), Brianna McLeod is tied for 19th in blocks (35), and Peyton McDaniel is 25th in points (340).

HOME SWEET HOME

The Dukes went 16-2 inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center in 2024-25, marking consecutive seasons with at least a dozen home victories. Additionally, the 16 home wins were the most by the program since the 2018-19 season when James Madison produced an 18-1 record at the Convocation Center.
JMU is 63-23 (.733) since the Atlantic Union Bank Center opened at the start of the 2020-21 season.
Moreover, Head Coach Sean O'Regan is 123-33 (.788) when playing in Harrisonburg.

SEASON TICKETS

Tickets for the 2025-26 JMU Women's Basketball season are still available - both season tickets and single-game tickets can be found here.

PARKING
Reserved Parking

All parking pass holders — both Spot-Specific and Reserved — will enter through the North Entrance of the Ballard Parking Deck. All reserved parking opens two (2) hours before tip-off.

General Parking

General Parking is located in the adjacent surface lots (C12, D3, and R4) as well as the South Entrance of the Ballard Parking Deck. General parking is available beginning two (2) hours before game time. General parking is free of charge, available on a first-come, first-served basis.