Women’s Basketball Falls to James Madison

Wednesday, February 4

Reed Green Coliseum

6 p.m.

Southern Miss

12-11,5-7Sun Belt

James Madison

17-8,9-4Sun Belt

James Madison

Southern Miss.

Women’s Basketball Falls to James Madison

2/4/2026 9:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Notes Game Book

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – James Madison used a late 11-0 run to escape Southern Miss' second half rally and hand the Lady Eagles a 83-72 defeat on Wednesday night at Reed Green Coliseum.

The Dukes (17-8, 9-4 Sun Belt) were led by Peyton McDaniel's 24 points as one of four Dukes in double-figures and one of two with 20-plus. Jakayla Johnson (Clinton, Miss.) led Southern Miss (12-11, 5-7 Sun Belt) with 22 points of her own. Redshirt-freshman Whitney Hart enjoyed a career-night, tying her career-high of 17 points with 10 rebounds her second career double-double.

McDaniel got James Madison on the board in less than three seconds, ensuring the Dukes never trailed during the game. Johnson tied the game for the first time on Southern Miss' next possession at the free throw line. Hart brought the game to a tie once again 6-6 later in the frame before JMU opened things up with an 11-0 run.

Southern Miss called a timeout with 5:01 left in the frame in the midst of the run and eventually fought back to trail 18-13 at the end of the quarter. James Madison's hot streak continued into the second quarter as JMU scored eight points before another Hart basket broke the streak. Southern Miss trailed 30-15 at the under-five media timeout and the Dukes took their largest lead of the day on the next possession after the break, leading by 17 with 4:30 left in the second.

Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.) snapped JMU's dominant opening the the second quarter with just over four to play in the half but the Lady Eagles went scoreless for another extended period. Breland got Southern Miss to within 12 with a 5-0 run of her own, sparking a 7-0 Southern Miss run after Timaya Thruman (Linden, Ala.) extended the run and made it a 32-22 game with 2:26 left.

James Madison burned a timeout and came out with another quick run, taking a 39-26 lead into the locker room. The Dukes shot 44.4 percent (16-of-36) in the first half and held Southern Miss to a 31.4 percent (11-of-35) mark with just two three-pointers on 10 attempts. McDaniel had 12 points at the half to lead JMU while Hart's 8 led the Lady Eagles.

Hart got Southern Miss' first points of the second half on the first possession. JMU moved the margin back to 15 points before a 9-0 Southern Miss streak forced James Madison to use another timeout. Johnson accounted for seven of the nine points, including the first five of the run, to bring the game to 43-37 overall.

Southern Miss extended the run to 11 unanswered before James Madison got its first points of the second half four minutes in. Southern Miss trailed by just six points at the quarter's media timeout before Meloney Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) capped off a 7-0 Lady Eagle run by drilling a three to tie the game 48-48. James Madison took the lead back on the next possession and eventually pushed the margin back to seven points heading into the fourth.

The Lady Eagles won the third quarter 24-18 and continued the hot second half start into the fourth. Johnson and Hart brought the game back to two points with a basket and Hart and-one, giving Johnson her 20th point of the night.

JMU tightened up from there, giving Johnson just two more points over the final 9:39 of the game. The Dukes also held Hart in check for the final 8:45, allowing her just three more points in that span.

Southern Miss was forced to call a timeout to stifle a 6-0 James Madison run and clawed back to within five, 72-67, with under four to go. The Dukes called a timeout up 76-67 and drew up a three-pointer for McDaniel, giving James Madison a 79-67 lead after her make. James Madison opened the lead up to 83-67 in the 11-0 run before Thames splashed a three to end the run.

Southern Miss scored five points under a mine to play to bring the game back to the final 11-point margin. Southern Miss outscored James Madison 46-44 in the second half and shot 66.7 percent (18-of-27) in the final two quarters.

Overall, James Madison outscored Southern Miss 18-5 on the fast break and 52-40 in the paint. The Dukes also grabbed 44 rebounds, 20 on the offensive glass, and assisted 21 of their 36 made baskets.

Up Next
Southern Miss heads north to Toledo, Ohio, to take on the Toledo Rockets for round two of the MAC-SBC Challenge. The Lady Eagles will be looking for their first road win in the MAC-SBC Challenge and are 3-2 overall since the first games in 2023-24.

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