Matchup – No. 5 Old Dominion (22-11, 12-6 Sun Belt) vs. No. 1 James Madison (24-7, 13-5 Sun Belt)
Game Info – Sunday, March 5 at 12:30 p.m. EST
Location – Pensacola Bay Center (Pensacola, Fla.)
Watch – ESPN+
Listen – ODU Sports Radio Network
Live Stats – Click Here
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Game Notes – ODU
Championship Central – Click Here
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Old Dominion women's basketball meets top-seeded James Madison in the Sun Belt Conference semifinals on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. EST inside the Pensacola Bay Center.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ while Matthew Hatfield and Charlie Woodson will also call the action on the ODU Sports Radio Network. Live stats will also be available.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Sun Belt's Championship Central page here.
The Series
JMU took both meetings during the regular season. ODU was without senior forward Amari Young for the first game, a 68-64 loss in Harrisonburg, Virginia on Dec. 31. When JMU came to Norfolk on Feb. 18, Young made a jumper at the buzzer to tie the score at 61-61 and send the game to overtime. The Monarchs opened the extra period with six straight points, but went cold for the final two minutes as JMU pulled ahead for the 73-68 final.
ODU leads the all-time series 52-27, though JMU has now won seven in a row.
About ODU
The Monarchs (22-11, 12-6 Sun Belt) advanced in the tournament with an 86-83 win over fourth-seeded Troy on Friday. Young led ODU with a season-high 29 points, adding nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal. Makayla Dickens was the other Monarch in double figures as she knocked down 4-of-6 shots from distance to finish with 14 points. Jordan McLaughlin, Jatyjia Jones and Brianna Jackson contributed nine points each.
Young enters Sunday's semifinal as ODU's top scorer and rebounder with 12.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Dickens is next with 10.6 ppg, Kaye Clark is third at 8.8 ppg, and McLaughlin fourth at 8.7 ppg. Through games played on March 3, Clark ranks 14th in the country with 84 steals and 32nd with 2.55 steals per game. Clark and McLaughlin have combined for 212 assists, and there are four Monarchs with double-digit blocks: Jackson owns the team high with 20, Jada Duckett follows with 18, Young is at 15 and Clark owns 14.
ODU is averaging 66.1 points with a +3.9 scoring margin. The Monarchs are shooting .395 (811-for-2055) from the floor, .298 (184-for-618) from distance, and .626 (376-for-601) at the free-throw line. ODU ranks 26th in the country with 19.79 turnovers forced per game.
About JMU
The Dukes (24-7, 13-5 Sun Belt) finished the regular season in a three-way tie for first place, but earned the top seed in the tournament by virtue of tie breakers. JMU played in the first quarterfinal game on Wednesday and defeated No. 8 Marshall 62-43. Kiki Jefferson, the Sun Belt Player of the Year, finished with 12 points and five boards. Kseniia Kozlova was right behind Jefferson with 11 points and five rebounds, and Jamia Hazell turned in 10 points with five rebounds.
Jefferson leads the team with 18.1 ppg, Peyton McDaniel owns a 11.2 scoring average, and Kozlova is also averaging double digits with 10.5 ppg. McDaniel is the top threat from the perimeter having made 67 three-pointers this season. Jefferson is also pulling down 8.0 rebounds per game, has 91 assists, and is second on the team with 27 steals and 15 blocks.
The Dukes are ranked 12th in the country in defensive rebounds per game (29.7), 14th in rebounds per game (42.71), and 17th in both field goal percentage defense (36.0) and rebound margin (8.2). JMU is scoring 69.3 points per outing, has outscored opponents by an average of 8.9 points, and is shooting .406 (754-for-1857) from the field, .300 (201-for-669) from long range, and .722 (439-for-608) at the line.
NET Rankings
Sun Belt Conference in the NCAA NET Rankings – as of March 3
| James Madison | 112 |
| Troy | 137 |
| Texas State | 148 |
| Old Dominion | 150 |
| Southern Miss. | 165 |
| Georgia Southern | 184 |
| Marshall | 190 |
| Louisiana | 193 |
| Coastal Carolina | 209 |
| App State | 227 |
| Georgia State | 248 |
| Arkansas State | 249 |
| ULM | 328 |
| South Alabama | 336 |
Up Next
The winner of Sunday's game will advance to the Sun Belt Championship final and face the winner of Sunday's other semifinal game between No. 2 Texas State and No. 3 Southern Miss. The title game will be streamed on ESPNU on Monday, March 6 with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m. EST.