BOONE, N.C. (JMU Athletics) – Trailing by double-digits at multiple points, James Madison women’s basketball turned it up in the second half, shooting 57.7% (15-of-26) from the field and committing just two turnovers in the final 20 minutes to top App State, 60-53, on Wednesday night inside the Holmes Convocation Center for JMU’s fifth consecutive win.
The Dukes (19-8, 10-4 Sun Belt) found themselves down 41-37 after three quarters but managed to take the lead for good after holding the Mountaineers (10-14, 3-10 Sun Belt) without a made field goal until the 5:21 mark during an 11-0 JMU scoring run.
Ashanti Barnes led all players with 15 points and nine rebounds, tying for the team lead in assists with four. Grace McDonough scored a career-high 14 points on 7-of-8 (.875) and tied her career high with two blocks. McDaniel finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, scoring 10 points in the second half.
Bree Robinson produced nine points and two steals, while Zakiya Stephenson registered seven points and two steals in the win.
For App State, Emma Smith (13) and Feryal Defne Atli (12) finished in double figures. Addie Biel chipped in with seven points and two boards off the bench.
How It Happened
First Quarter – App State 8, JMU 6
• McDonough went 3-for-3 from the field to give the Dukes a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes.
• JMU failed to score for the final 6:30, finishing the frame shooting 3-of-12 (.250) from the floor and 0-for-6 from three as the Mountaineers took an 8-6 edge after one.
Second Quarter – App State 26, JMU 19
• James Madison’s cold stretch continued, with no Duke aside from McDonough (4-of-5) registering a made field goal in the game as JMU trailed 13-10 at the media timeout.
• App State led by as much as 10 (24-14) after a three-pointer from Jada Burton.
Third Quarter – App State 41, JMU 37
• The Dukes were able to claw back, connecting on three of their last three from the floor to cut the deficit to three (38-35) at the 1:33 mark.
• Barnes, McDaniel, and McDonough all scored six points to outscore the Mountaineers 18-15 in the quarter.
Fourth Quarter – JMU 60, App State 53
• After missing their first shot of the period, the Dukes made their next four, highlighted by a fast-break basket from Barnes to give JMU its first lead since the first quarter at 46-43 with 6:31 to play.
• App State knocked down back-to-back threes as the Dukes clung to a 51-50 edge at the 2:21 mark.
• Elena Pericic hit a three while drawing a foul to make it 58-53, but missed the free throw with seven seconds remaining.
Game Notes
• JMU held an advantage in points in the paint (36-24) and fast-break points (14-5).
• McDonough has shot 78.0% (39-of-50) from the field over the last nine games.
• The Dukes are 51-0 since joining the Sun Belt Conference when holding opponents to 59 points or fewer.
• JMU was held to single digits in the first quarter for the third time this season, being limited to four against Boston College (Nov. 28) and nine at Texas (Nov. 19).
• Sixty points are the fewest in a win for the Dukes since defeating VCU 55-42 on Dec. 5, 2024.
• The win was JMU’s third this season when trailing entering the fourth quarter, having also achieved this feat against Liberty (Nov. 12) and Coastal Carolina (Dec. 17).
• With her scoring output, Ashanti Barnes has tallied 1,014 points as a Duke (2023-Present) to become the 35th member of JMU’s 1,000-point club.
— JMU Athletics —
