HATTIESBURG, Miss. (Interstat) — The James Madison women’s basketball team used a dominant start and a resilient finish to secure an 83-72 road victory over Southern Mississippi on Wednesday night at Reed Green Coliseum.

The Dukes, improving to 17-8, built a commanding early lead by holding the Lady Eagles to just 13 points in each of the first two quarters. James Madison led 39-26 at halftime, a margin forged by defensive pressure and efficient interior scoring. Southern Mississippi, which fell to 12-11, mounted a significant challenge after the break, outscoring the Dukes 24-18 in the third quarter to trim the deficit to just seven points heading into the final period.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded early in the fourth quarter, with James Madison’s lead having been whittled down to 59-52. Southern Mississippi’s Whitney Hart completed a three-point play with 8:45 remaining, pulling the Lady Eagles within four. The home crowd sensed a potential comeback, but James Madison responded with a decisive 8-0 run over the next 90 seconds to regain control.

The surge was fueled by the tandem of Peyton McDaniel and Ashanti Barnes. Barnes initiated the run with a layup off an assist from Regina Walton. After a Southern Mississippi turnover, Barnes found McDaniel for another layup. Following a defensive stop, Barnes then converted her own layup on a feed from Bree Robinson, pushing the lead back to 67-55 with 7:23 left and forcing a Southern Mississippi timeout. The Lady Eagles could not recover from that burst, never coming closer than eight points the rest of the way.

McDaniel, a 6-foot guard from Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, led all scorers with 24 points, adding two assists in 31 minutes. Barnes, a 6-2 forward from Norfolk, Virginia, was instrumental with a 21-point, five-assist performance, consistently answering Southern Mississippi runs with baskets in the paint. Robinson, a 5-8 guard from Mississauga, Canada, contributed 16 points and four assists, while Zakiya Stephenson added 10 points and five assists.

Southern Mississippi was led by Jakayla Johnson’s 22 points and three assists. Hart, a 6-3 forward from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, posted 17 points, and Meloney Thames added 12. Hayleigh Breland finished with 11 points and four assists.

James Madison’s victory was anchored by overwhelming advantages in several key statistical categories. The Dukes outrebounded the Lady Eagles 18-8 on the offensive glass, leading to a 52-40 advantage in points in the paint. James Madison also recorded five assists to Southern Mississippi’s three, and committed only six turnovers while forcing eight.

Offensively, James Madison shot 48.6% from the field, making 36 of 74 attempts. While Southern Mississippi shot a respectable 46.8%, the disparity in opportunities created by offensive rebounds and turnovers proved decisive. The Dukes also held a slight edge from beyond the arc, hitting 6 of 15 compared to the Lady Eagles’ 5 of 15.

The game began with James Madison establishing its interior presence immediately, as McDaniel scored the game’s first basket on a layup just 23 seconds in. The Dukes led 18-13 after a first quarter defined by physical play and extended their lead to 21 points late in the second quarter before Southern Mississippi closed the half on a 9-2 run.

The Lady Eagles carried that momentum into the third quarter, opening the period on a 15-7 run fueled by Johnson and Hart. A three-pointer from Thames with 4:01 left in the third capped the surge and brought Southern Mississippi within 50-48, setting the stage for the pivotal fourth-quarter response from the visitors.

An announced crowd of 1,467 watched as James Madison snapped a two-game road losing streak in conference play and continued its strong mid-season form, having now won four of its last five games. Southern Mississippi, coming off an overtime road win at Old Dominion, saw its hopes for a winning streak dashed.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected James Madison with an 86.3% probability to win entering the contest.

James Madison travels to face Massachusetts on Sunday. Southern Mississippi heads to Toledo for a non-conference matchup on Saturday.