Dukes Prepare for Quarterfinal Matchup at Sun Belt Tournament

JMU WBB Game Preview - 2026 SBC Championship

Dukes Prepare for Quarterfinal Matchup at Sun Belt Tournament

3/5/2026 5:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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PENSACOLA, Fla. – Fourth-seeded James Madison will take on the victor of No. 5 Marshall versus No. 12 South Alabama, which will take place on Friday in the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Women's Basketball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve. The Dukes' quarterfinal contest on Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. CT) and will stream on ESPN+.

POTENTIAL MATCHUPS

James Madison split with the Thundering Herd during the regular season, falling 83-74 in overtime on the road (Dec. 20) before handing Marshall an 80-43 loss in Harrisonburg (Jan. 15).
Meanwhile, five Dukes scored in double figures as James Madison powered past South Alabama, 88-52, in Harrisonburg on Jan. 31. JMU won in wire-to-wire fashion after shooting 57.6% (34-of-59) from the field and a season-best 42.9% (9-of-21) from three to down the Jaguars.
With a win in the quarterfinals, the Dukes would take on No. 1 seed Georgia Southern, (23-6, 16-2 SBC), who JMU also split with the Eagles, dropping a 78-70 decision in Statesboro, Ga. (Jan. 7), followed by a 67-60 triumph over GS inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center (Jan. 17).

LAST TIME IN THE QUARTERFINALS

Third-seeded JMU 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 March 8, 2024.
McDaniel led the charge with game highs of 21 points (7-of-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.

THE DUKES VS. THE SUN BELT

James Madison holds a 113-73 (.608) record against current Sun Belt Conference foes and is 64-16 (.800) since joining the league in 2022.
Moreover, the Dukes are 58-14 (.806) 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 won 19 straight home games against Sun Belt foes 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 87 meetings, with the Dukes trailing 34-53 in the all-time series despite winning 13 consecutive matchups. Additionally, ODU is the only team in the league with a winning record against JMU.
The Dukes have never lost to Louisiana (6-0), Southern Miss (5-0), Texas State (4-0), South Alabama (4-0), or ULM (3-0).

SUN BELT POSTSEASON AWARDS

Peyton McDaniel was named an All-Sun Belt First Team member for the second year in a row, and Ashanti Barnes landed on the Second Team, improving from her Third Team selection last season. Meanwhile, both Barnes and Bree Robinson earned spots on the Sun Belt All-Defensive Team.
A versatile forward, Barnes is one of three players in the nation to average at least 15 points (15.0) and nine boards (9.3) per game, while dishing out 67 assists. Meanwhile, the graduate student is 22nd nationally in rebounds (287). The Norfolk, Va. native has produced 10 double-doubles in 2025-26, including three with 20-plus points, highlighted by recording a stat line of 29 points and 16 rebounds on Senior Day versus Coastal Carolina on Feb. 27.
An elite two-way player, Robinson averaged 12.1 points and 3.4 assists per game in her first season starting for the Dukes. The guard was especially strong against league opponents, increasing her scoring to 14.0 points per outing, while shooting 48.7% (97-of-199) from the field and 40.0% (24-of-60) from three-point range.

BY THE NUMBERS

11: Peyton McDaniel (2,235) is one of 11 active Division I players with 2,000-plus points, sitting in third behind Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame - 2,281) and Ta'Niya Latson (South Carolina - 2,475).
44: Brianna McLeod is sixth in the nation in blocks (44) among players with no starts, while Aziyah Farrier of Stephen F. Austin leads the nation with 57 blocks off the bench. Additionally, her 44 rejections are the most by a Duke since Kayla Cooper Williams posted 74 in 2019-20.
78: Bree Robinson has tallied 78 steals, good to tie for the second most in a single season in program history. The guard is five steals away from passing Jess Cichowicz for the most single-season steals, finishing with 82 in the 2002-03 season. That season, she set the program single-game record for steals with nine against Charlotte on Dec. 21, 2002.
100: Zakiya Stephenson (133) and Bree Robinson (100) are the first JMU teammates to record at least 105 assists in the same season since Nikki Newman (142) and Angela Mickens (139) accomplished the feat during the 2013-14 season.

MILESTONE TRACKER

With 998 rebounds, Peyton McDaniel is two away from totaling 1,000 in her career. If she achieves the feat, she will become the second Duke to score 2,000 points and collect 1,000 rebounds in their career, joining Tamera Young (2004-08), who holds totals of 2,121 points and 1,127 rebounds.
With 15 points against App State on Feb. 11, Ashanti Barnes became the 35th member of the program's 1,000-point club.
Additionally, with 2,235 career points, Peyton McDaniel is 113 points away from passing Precious Hall (2012-2017) for second in all-time scoring at JMU, tallying 2,347 in her career.
For McDaniel, if she maintains her season scoring average of 18.3, she can move into second in seven games.
Zakiya Stephenson needs eight more assists to reach 300 in her collegiate career between her stops at Ole Miss (50 - 2023-24) and JMU (242 - 2024-Present).

NCAA RANKING SUMMARY (THROUGH MARCH 4 GAMES)

JMU owns nine top-75 marks nationally: rebounds per game (14th - 42.35), rebound margin (16th - +8.5), defensive rebounds per game (20th - 28.7), scoring offense (47th - 74.6), scoring margin (49th - +12.8), field goal percentage (56th - 44.5), offensive rebounds per game (63rd - 13.6), field goal percentage defense (69th - 37.8), and assists per game (T-71st - 15.2).
Individually, Peyton McDaniel is 27th in points (567), Ashanti Barnes is 32nd in rebounds (287), and Bree Robinson is tied for 34th in steals (78).