ATLANTA (JMU Athletics) – Trailing 49-48 at the 5:14 mark of the fourth quarter, Kseniia Kozlova, Peyton McDaniel and Ro Scott combined for 12 points the rest of the way to propel James Madison to a 62-55 victory over Georgia State in Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball action on Wednesday night inside the GSU Convocation Center.

JMU (24-4, 15-0 SBC) out-rebounded the Panthers (14-13, 7-8 SBC) 53-26 – the largest rebounding margin for the Dukes this season – and held a 24-4 advantage in second-chance points.

With the win, the Dukes have secured a top-two seed in the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Championship, with the semifinals taking place on Sunday, March 9 inside the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla.

James Madison is off to a 15-0 start in conference play for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign when the Dukes also began league play 15-0. Additionally, their 16 consecutive victories are the most under the direction of Head Coach Sean O’Regan and is the program’s longest streak since posting a 20-game winning streak from Jan. 8 through March 12, 2016. JMU is also the first Sun Belt team to start 15-0 in league play since Arkansas State began the 2015-16 season 18-0.

Kozlova registered 19 points and tied her career-high of 15 rebounds – pacing all players in both categories – on her way to her fourth double-double of the season and the 11th in her career. McDaniel grabbed 13 boards and added 11 points to record her 10th double-double in the 2024-25 campaign and her 18th overall. Ro Scott and Ashanti Barnes both produced 12 points and six rebounds, while Bree Robinson chipped in with three points and three steals in the win and finished +19.

Crystal Henderson paced the Panthers with 18 points on a 7-for-17 (.412) shooting night to go along with a game-best four assists. Kaleigh Addie (13), Mikyla Tolivert (11) and Mya Williams (10) also scored in double figures. Mahogany Matthews registered four blocks and was held to zero points in the loss.

How It Happened
First Quarter – JMU 15, GSU 14
• The Dukes were held to 1-of-6 (.167) from the field and suffered a 2:18 scoring drought as Georgia State led 8-6 at the media timeout.
• Trailing 12-8 late in the period, JMU closed on a 7-2 run to take a 15-14 lead after one, sparked by a triple from Scott.

Second Quarter – JMU 31, GSU 26
• JMU opened on a 10-2 run as the Panthers shot 0-for-6 from the field and 0-for-4 from behind the arc to make it 25-14 Dukes.
• Clara Rosini knocked down a triple as part of a 9-0 GSU run to cut the deficit to two (25-23) with 2:51 left in the half.

Third Quarter – JMU 48, GSU 43
• The Dukes held a six-point advantage (40-34) at the media timeout after limiting the Panthers to one of their last eight from the field.
• A triple from GSU’s Mya Williams with 0:08 remaining in the period to make it 48-43.

Fourth Quarter – JMU 62, GSU 55
• After starting 0-for-5 from the field with three turnovers, JMU trailed 49-48 with 5:14 remaining in the contest.
• The Dukes responded with a 6-0 run over the next 2:03 with a step-back jumper from McDaniel and back-to-back scores from Kozlova.
• JMU made five of its last six shots and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe while holding GSU to one of its last seven to claim the 62-55 victory.

Game Notes
• James Madison leads Georgia State 14-3 in the all-time series dating back to 2006 and snapped a three-game losing skid to the Panthers.
• The win was the Dukes’ first in Atlanta since topping the Panthers 65-49 on Jan. 20, 2013.
• JMU held an advantage in points in the paint (24-4) and bench points (15-13), while GSU led in points in the paint (28-24) and fast-break points (13-7).
• The Dukes’ 53 rebounds are the third-most by the team this season behind 55 boards versus Gardner-Webb (Nov. 17) and Southern Miss (Jan. 24).
• JMU is now 37-0 when holding opponents to 59 points or fewer and 65-15 when winning the rebound battle since joining the Sun Belt.
• James Madison’s +27 effort on the glass is its best since out-rebounding Louisiana 53-25 in the Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Championship semifinals on March 10, 2024.
• The Dukes have now had five games this season with two players recording double-doubles, doing so previously against Coastal Carolina (Jan. 18 & 26), Southern Miss (Jan. 24), Georgia Southern (Jan. 29).

— JMU Athletics —