ATLANTA – Georgia State outscored James Madison 42-30 in the second half to drop the Dukes, 72-64, on Saturday afternoon inside the GSU Convocation Center.
JMU slips to 17-5 (7-3 SBC), while the Panthers (10-13, 4-6 SBC) pick up win No. 10 on the season. Georgia State is scheduled to face Georgia Southern next on Feb. 2.
Senior guard Kiki Jefferson posted 28 points, knocking down 8-of-18 (44.4%) from the field and 10-of-12 (83.3%) from the line. Junior Kseniia Kozlova scored 13 points in 21 minutes of action, while classmate Steph Ouderkirk chipped in with eight and pulled down a season-best eight boards. Graduate student Caroline Germond registered five assists and zero turnovers in the loss.
How It Happened
• James Madison and Georgia traded baskets in the opening frame, with the Dukes taking a 16-14 lead after one, holding the Panthers scoreless for the final 2:36.
• Kozlova added seven points in the second period, shooting 3-of-3 from the field to give JMU a 34-30 advantage at the intermission. James Madison’s defense locked down late in the frame, not allowing a basket for the final 3:18.
• The Dukes started the second half cold, hitting just 2-of-10 (20.0%) in the first five minutes. JMU went 1-for-9 (11.1%) from three in the third as the Panthers took a 52-45 heading into the fourth.
• Jefferson scored 17 of the Dukes’ 19 points in the final quarter, as James Madison fell 72-64.
Game Notes
• James Madison holds a 13-1 advantage in the all-time series against Georgia State.
• JMU has lost two consecutive games for the first time since last season when they fell to Drexel (Feb. 16, 64-61) and Northeastern (Feb. 25, 65-52).
• Twenty makes from the field is the third-lowest for the Dukes this season. Previously, the team hit just 19 shots against Liberty (Nov. 23) and VCU (Dec. 1).
• With 37 rebounds against the Panthers, Georgia State became the first Sun Belt Conference program to hold the Dukes to less than 40 boards twice in the season.
• Defensively, JMU recorded just two steals, tied for the lowest output which came against GSU (Jan. 14) earlier in 2022-23.
• With 28 points, Jefferson has reached the 20-point plateau 10 times in her senior campaign. Additionally, 28 points are the second-most by the senior this season behind her 30-point outing versus #13 North Carolina on Nov. 20.
• Moreover, Jefferson’s efforts move her to eighth in JMU’s all-time scoring list with 1,616 career points. She now trails Kirby Burkholder (2010-14) who accumulated 1,647 during her time in Harrisonburg.
• Germond’s five assists mark the eighth time this season she’s had five or more in a game.
• Georgia State connected on 50.0% (7-of-14) of its attempts from deep, the most efficient an SBC team has shot from behind the arc against the Dukes this season.
Up Next
The Dukes will continue to play on the road with contests at South Alabama (Feb. 2) and Georgia Southern (Feb. 4).
— JMU Athletics —
