HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison women’s basketball trailed 55-53 with 3:36 remaining, but rattled off a 12-1 run to close the game, handing Virginia Tech its first loss of the season with a 65-56 victory in front of 3,320 fans inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Dukes (4-3) held the Hokies (5-1) to one made field goal on their final seven attempts, with no makes in the final 3:36. JMU dominated the glass, out-rebounding Virginia Tech 47-27 and turned its 13 offensive boards into 21 second-chance points. Entering the contest, the Hokies ranked 11th in Division I in rebound margin at +16.2.

Peyton McDaniel finished with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, and tied her career high of three assists. Ashanti Barnes tied her career high with 16 boards and registered 14 points, going 6-for-6 from the line.

Bree Robinson and Grace McDonough both produced eight points, with McDonough rejecting a pair of shots. Zakiya Stephenson registered seven points and came away with a pair of steals, while Brianna McLeod came off the bench to add six points, five rebounds and two blocks.

Carleigh Wenzel led all players with 20 points, while Cary Baker hit 3-of-7 (.429) from three for 11 points. Mackenzie Nelson dished out a game-high four assists to go along with four steals and six boards in her 10-point outing.

How It Happened
First Quarter – JMU 13, Virginia Tech 13
• Both defenses played tight early, with Virginia Tech holding a 7-4 lead at the media timeout despite making just one of their last seven shots from the field.
• Marshall knocked down a corner three to make it 13-13 after one. Eight of the Dukes’ 13 points were on second-chance opportunities.

Second Quarter – JMU 28, Virginia Tech 26
• A triple from McDaniel and a jumper from McDonough put JMU ahead 26-19 at the 4:08 mark of the period.
• Barnes registered 12 rebounds and 10 points in the first half to help give the Dukes an edge at the break.

Third Quarter – JMU 45, Virginia Tech 39
• McDonough scored six quick points to grow the Dukes’ lead back to seven (39-32) early in the frame.
• Robinson connected on a jumpshot from the elbow to give JMU its biggest lead of the game at the point, 45-34, with 2:35 to play.

Fourth Quarter – JMU 65, Virginia Tech 56
• The Hokies fought back, with a triple from Baker giving Virginia Tech a 55-53 edge with 3:36 remaining in the contest.
• Undeterred, the Dukes scored 10 unanswered, kick-started by a wing three-pointer from McDaniel.
• JMU went 7-of-8 (.875) from the charity stripe to seal the deal with a 65-56 victory.

Game Notes
• James Madison held an advantage in points in the paint (30-26), second-chance points (21-3) and bench points (9-5).
• JMU has defeated Virginia Tech in three straight meetings dating back to 2009. Additionally, the victory marked the Dukes’ 50th over current ACC teams.
• McDaniel’s double-double was the 24th of her career, while Barnes’ effort marked her 11th.
• Today’s crowd of 3,320 is the seventh-largest for a women’s basketball game in the history of the Atlantic Union Bank Center (2020-Present).
• JMU’s performance on the glass marked the first time the Dukes have out-rebounded a Power 4 team by double-digits since owning a 46-36 mark against Virginia in an 84-69 win over the Cavaliers on Nov. 9, 2021.
• James Madison has won back-to-back games against ACC opponents in Harrisonburg, defeating Wake Forest 55-53, Dec.3, 2023.
• Every JMU player who entered the game grabbed a rebound.

Up Next
The Dukes will head to the Sunshine State to take on Boston College (Nov. 28) and Wisconsin (Nov. 29) at the Daytona Beach Classic

— JMU Athletics —