Dukes Command Win Over App State to Clinch Sun Belt Regular Season Championship, 83-57

Boone, Nc.   –   James Madison women’s basketball clinches Sun Belt Conference regular season champions title with the win over App State, 83-57.

JMU continues the Sun Belt domination moving to 25-4 (16-0 SBC) while pushing App State 13-14 (9-7 SBC). This is the first regular-season conference title since the Dukes went 17-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association in the 2018-19 season.

James Madison’s offensive show was fronted by five Dukes scoring in double-figures. Redshirt junior Peyton McDaniel locked in her 11th double-double of the season posting 17 points and 10 rebounds. Redshirt senior, Kseniia Kozlova, and graduate student, Ro Scott weren’t far off McDaniel scoring 13 points respectively. The final two Dukes reaching double-digits during the contest were sophomore Bree Robinson and redshirt senior Annalicia Goodman both registering 10 points off the bench.

How it happened

FIRST QUARTER - JAMES MADISON 18, APP STATE 12

• JMU started the game with a 5-0 run for the first three minutes of the game.
• App State answered with a pair of threes to take a narrow lead 6-5.
• The Dukes and the Mountaineers traded off leads before JMU held App State from scoring for the last two minutes of the quarter.

SECOND QUARTER - JAMES MADISON 48, APP STATE 28

• JMU started the quarter 6-3 to take the lead by eight.
• A pair of threes from Scott put the Dukes up by 12 (29-17).
• The Dukes shot 4-for-5 (.800) from three and had a season-high points in a quarter with 30.

THIRD QUARTER - JAMES MADISON 64, APP STATE 41

• A pair of layups from McDaniel and Kozlova put JMU up by 24 (52-28) to start the third quarter.
• The Dukes held strong defensively, keeping the margin to at least 17 the whole quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER - JAMES MADISON 83, APP STATE 57

• Five consecutive points from McDaniel gave JMU a 28-point lead with just under 6:30 left in the contest.
• The Dukes did not allow the Mountaineers within 22 points in the final quarter.

Game Notes

• James Madison leads the all-time series 8-2, sweeping the 2025 season matchups.
• JMU secures its 12th road game win and ninth consecutive, which ties the record for most road wins in a season.
• Five players scored double digits for the second time this season.
• The Dukes will be the top seed in the Sun Belt Championship, beginning tournament play Sunday, March 9 at the Pensacola Bay Center.
• 17 straight wins for JMU is the most since the 2015-26 season (20).

Up Next
James Madison (25-4, 16-0 SBC) returns home to the Atlantic Union Bank Center to face Georgia State (14-13, 7-8 SBC) on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The game is set to start at 7 p.m EST and will be streamed on ESPN+.