PENSACOLA, Fla. – James Madison held Marshall to just 17-of-52 (32.7%) from the field and 19 points in the second half to earn a 62-43 win over the Thundering Herd and advance to the Sun Belt Championship Semifinals on Friday afternoon inside the Pensacola Bay Center.

JMU improves to 24-7 and will face either No. 4 seed Troy or No. 5 Old Dominion in the semifinals. Marshall bows out of the tournament with a 17-14 record.

The Dukes scored by committee, with eight players recording at least six points. JMU had three players score in double figures, led by senior Kiki Jefferson with 12 points, followed by juniors Kseniia Kozlova (11) and Jamia Hazell (10). Junior Peyton McDaniel led the team in rebounds with six, while Hazell dished out four assists. Graduate student Caroline Germond finished with six points, hitting a pair of triples and three assists.

How It Happened
• James Madison dropped 24 points in the opening frame, 16 coming from the trio of Germond (six), junior Kobe King-Hawea (five), and Jefferson (five). Marshall shot 53.8% (7-for-13) in the first but trailed 24-16 after one.
• The JMU defense was stingy in the second quarter, holding the Thundering Herd to just eight points on 3-of-14 (21.4%) from the field. Meanwhile, the Dukes added 13 points in the period for a 37-24 lead at the intermission.
• In the third quarter, Jefferson added seven points while junior Annalicia Goodman chipped in with four. Hazell blocked Marshall’s final shot of the frame to give JMU the 52-35 lead heading into the fourth.
• The Dukes outscored the Thundering Herd 10-7 in the final period to knock off Marshall, 62-43. The Thundering Herd shot 3-of-13 (23.1%) and was blanked from the three-point line (0-for-2).

Game Notes
• James Madison is 7-2 all-time versus Marshall, including 2-0 in neutral-site games.
• The Thundering Herd’s 43 points are tied for the fewest allowed by the Dukes this season against Division I foes. Earlier in the season, the team bested Eastern Michigan 76-43 on Dec. 20.
• With the win, the program reached 1,200 victories, joining only Tennessee (1,447), UConn (1,267), and Stanford (1,209).
• JMU held the Thundering Herd to 17-of-52 (32.7%) from the field. The Dukes have held opponents to under 33.3% from the field nine times in 2022-23.
• Head Coach Sean O’Regan saw his team make 9-of-21 (42.9%) from three, the third-most efficient three-point outing for the Dukes this season. Additionally, the team has made nine or more triples in a game seven times this year. Moreover, JMU started 4-for-4 from behind the arc.
• The program had not reached the semifinals of its league tournament since 2020-21, when it fell to No. 3 seed Drexel 79-76 in overtime as members of the Colonial Athletic Association on March 12.
• The win over Marshall gives JMU 24 victories in the 2022-23 campaign. James Madison has recorded 15 seasons with 24+ wins since 2000 and four under the direction of Head Coach Sean O’Regan. O’Regan has taken his team to one conference championship appearance, falling to Elon 78-60, on March 11, 2017.
• Germond dished out three assists in the win, bringing her Division I total to 202. Meanwhile, Hazell had four assists, tied for the most she’s had in conference play.
• Jefferson went a perfect 2-for-2 from deep, the first time she’s knocked down multiple threes since going 2-for-4 (50.0%) at Georgia State on Jan. 28.
• James Madison only took 10 shots from the free throw line, the fewest by the team this season.
• The Dukes committed just 10 fouls, marking the third time they’ve recorded 10 or fewer.

Up Next
The Dukes will face No. 5 seed Old Dominion in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Championship tournament. The matchup will take place on Sunday, March 5 at 12:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. CT).

— JMU Athletics —