WHO: ODU (17-12, 8-8 SBC) at James Madison (21-8, 12-4 SBC) | at App State (11-16, 4-12 SBC)
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 25 - 5:00 p.m. | Friday, Feb. 27, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Harrisonburg, Va. / Atlantic Union Bank Center | Boone, N.C. / Holmes Convocation Center
ALL-TIME: ODU leads JMU, 52-33 | ODU leads App State, 7-2
Live Stats: Click Here! | Click Here!
LISTEN: ESPN Radio 94.1 FM | Fox Sports Radio 1310 AM
SOCIAL MEDIA: X, Facebook, Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion women’s basketball is looking to continue its four-game win streak in road contests, but it will be put to the test at James Madison in the Townebank Royal Rivalry on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 5 p.m. ODU wraps up the 2025-26 regular season at App State on Friday, Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+. Wednesday’s game at JMU will air on ESPN Radio 94.1, while Friday’s game will air on Fox Sports Radio 1310 AM. Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry will have the call and live stats will also be available.
ALL-TIME SERIES & LAST TIME OUT:
The Monarchs play the Dukes for the 86th time in the all-time series on Wednesday. ODU has the edge in the all-time series, 52-33 but fell last time out on ODU’s Senior Day, 87-53. The Dukes cranked up their tempo and capitalized on fast break points, outscoring ODU 8-0 in the final 1:20 and the Monarchs trailed, 40-29, at the half. They were unable to cut into the lead in the second half.
The Monarchs dispatched the Mountaineers, 65-54 on Jan. 14 this season to improve ODU’s record in the all-time series to 7-2. ODU relied on a gritty and rough defensive performance, contesting nearly every App State shot, and as a result, the Mountaineers shot 29% from the floor. App State staged a too-little, too-late comeback in the final minutes that trimmed the lead to six, 59-53. But En’Dya Buford made two foul shots with 28.5 seconds left and the Mountaineers got no closer.
ABOUT ODU:
Old Dominion is currently on a two-game win streak and are sixth in the Sun Belt standings with a conference record of 8-8. Trailing behind the Monarchs in seventh and eighth is Texas State (7-9) and Southern Miss (7-9) who both hold tiebreakers over the Silver and Blue. With two games left in the regular season if Old Dominion wins out they will secure the sixth seed, if they split these next two games then TXST and USM will need to win out to trigger a tiebreaker. Old Dominion’s Net Ranking heading into Thursday’s contest is 146.
The Monarchs are ranked the 12th best shot blocking team in the nation and are number one in the Sun Belt averaging 5.6 blocks per game. Junior transfer forward Riley Stack has the fourth most blocks in Division I (74) and ranks first in the Sun Belt with 2.55 blocks per game. Simone Cunningham has 28 blocks to rank second on ODU and is 11th in the Sun Belt, she averages 2.61 offensive rebounds which is good for ninth in the Sun Belt.
Following a strong performance on the boards against Coastal Carolina where the Silver and Blue reigned in 60 rebounds, ODU rose nine spots from 18th to ninth in Division I in total rebounding (43.03). The Monarchs also crash to offensive glass at a high level, grabbing an average of 15.3 offensive rebounds to rank 20th in the nation. The Monarchs have the second best rebounding offense (43.03) in the Sun Belt and are shooting 70.3% from the free throw line this year to rank seventh in the SBC.
Old Dominion holds opposing teams to 37.1% shooting from the field, which is good for 38th in Division I and is the best in the conference. Buford has 67 steals this season, which is good for fourth in the SBC, Simaru Fields ranks 10th in the conference with 56. Buford ranks third in the SBC in free throw percentage (82.3) and is 15th in made three-pointers (50). Fields ranks 17th in the SBC with 12.93 ppg and is first on the Monarchs, she had nailed 61 deep balls which is good for ninth in the Sun Belt.
ABOUT JMU:
The Dukes are riding a Sun Belt leading seven-game win streak heading into Wednesday’s meeting with the Monarchs. JMU has an overall record of 21-8 and are 12-4 in SBC action to rank fifth in the conference. Sean O’Regan is in his 10th season at the helm with the Dukes and has an all-time record of 231-89.
Peyton McDaniel ranks 40th in the nation and is first on the Dukes with 18.6 ppg and ranks second on the team with 7.4 rpg. Ashanti Barnes ranks second in scoring with 14.4 ppg and ranks first in rebounds with 8.9 rpg. JMU has started the same lineup for all 29 of its games, with Bree Robinson, Zakiya Stephenson, and Grace McDonough rounding out the starting five. Robinson averages 11.8 ppg, followed by Stephenson’s 8.0 ppg, and then McDonough’s 6.6 ppg. Stephenson is the Dukes’ main ball handler and has provided a team high 125 assists while notching 57 steals. Robinson has dished 74 steals and swiped 74 steals.
James Madison scores an average of 74.6 ppg and concedes 62.3 for a +12.3-scoring margin. The Dukes shoot 44.8% from the field, 31.7% from behind the arc, and 67.7% from the free throw line. JMU grabs 41.9 rpg and has a +8.5-rebounding margin. The Dukes make 3.8 blocks per game and snag 9.2 steals per game.
ABOUT APP STATE:
App State has an 11-16 overall record and a 4-12 SBC record to sit in 11th in the conference standings. The Mountaineers are 1-6 in their last seven games and most recently dropped two-straight losses, falling to Coastal Carolina by a point (65-64) and by 26 to JMU (74-48).
Emma Smith and Daisia Mitchell are tied for the team lead in points per game with both averaging 10.4. Jayden McBride is the team’s third leading scorer, putting in 10.0 ppg. Smith, a 5-7 guard, leads App State on the boards with 5.9 rebounds per game followed by a three-way tie for second with Mitchell, Elena Pericic, and Defne Feryal Atli all reigning in 3.9 per game.
The Mountaineers score 63.3 points per game and hold opponents to 60.7 for a +2.6-scoring margin. App State shoots 42.8% from the field and 32.3% from behind the arc with 6.2 made threes per contest. The Mountaineers grab 36.4 rebounds per game and have a +3.9-rebounding margin against opponents.
UP NEXT:
Old Dominion will learn its seeding for the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Championship in Pensacola, Fla. after the conclusion of Friday’s slate of games in the Sun Belt. If the Monarchs finish as the sixth seed they will play on Friday, Mar. 6 at 2 p.m. If ODU falls to the seventh or eighth seed their first game is on Thursday, Mar. 5 at 11:30 a.m. or 2 p.m.