MOBILE, Ala. – Senior guard Kiki Jefferson registered her sixth double-double of the season with 22 points and a career-high 14 rebounds off the bench to help James Madison cruise past South Alabama, 72-54, on Thursday night inside the Mitchell Center.

The win snaps the Dukes’ two-game losing streak as they improve to 18-5 (8-3 SBC). Meanwhile, the Jaguars drop to 5-17 with a 1-10 mark in conference play. USA will travel to Southern Miss next for a Saturday afternoon affair.

In addition to Jefferson’s offensive output, junior Kseniia Kozlova went 8-for-9 (88.9%) from the field for 18 points, while classmate Peyton McDaniel added 14 with a pair of three-pointers. Claire Neff tallied eight points to go along with a pair of blocks and steals. Kobe King-Hawea pulled down a career-high seven rebounds in her first Division I start, as graduate student Caroline Germond dished out four assists in the win.

How It Happened
• In a low-scoring opening frame, the Dukes led by as many as six (10-4) with 2:04 remaining in the quarter. The Jaguars fought back but trailed 14-11 by the end of the period.

• JMU continued to build on its advantage, going up 23-11 early in the second quarter. However, a cold shooting stretch resulted in South Alabama taking the lead, 27-26, at the 3:01 mark.

• James Madison responded and owned a 33-27 edge heading into the locker room. Kozlova shot a perfect 3-for-3 and 2-for-2 from the line for eight points in the quarter.

• After an early timeout, the Dukes came out firing in the third period, scoring 21 points with eight points from both Jefferson and McDaniel to make it 54-43 with one quarter left.

• JMU cruised in the final frame, with Kozlova dropping eight points on 4-of-4 shooting to help give the Dukes the 72-54 win.

Game Notes
• JMU now owns a 1-0 mark in the all-time series against South Alabama.

• The Dukes accumulated 50 rebounds, the most they’ve recorded in Sun Belt play and the fourth time they’ve reached the 50-rebound plateau. Moreover, with the rebound margin of +18 is the program’s biggest in league games this year.

• South Alabama mustered only three offensive rebounds, the lowest of any JMU Division I opponent this season. The Dukes held Millersville to no offensive boards earlier in the season on Nov. 9.

• Jefferson’s offensive production marked the 11th time scoring 20-plus and the second consecutive game with 20 or more.

• With 1,639 career points, Jefferson trails Kirby Burkholder (2010-14) who accumulated 1,647 during her time in Harrisonburg.

• James Madison benefited from 39 points off the bench compared to 13 for the Jaguars. Additionally, the Dukes tallied 32 points in the paint.

• JMU shot 4-of-24 (16.7%) from behind the arc, the worst three-point performance by the team in 2022-23.

• For Neff, she registered two blocks to mark the third time this season with multiple blocks.

Up Next
The Dukes will head east to take on Georgia Southern on Saturday, Feb. 4. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

— JMU Athletics —