The Shadow
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Peyton McDaniel (28) and Ashanti Barnes (19) combined for 47 points and each recorded double-doubles, as James Madison led wire-to-wire to capture the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Championship crown with a 69-52 victory against Troy on Monday afternoon at the Pensacola Bay Center.
Winners of 12 straight, the Dukes (26-8) now advance to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship for the 14th time and for the first time since 2023. JMU has now won two Sun Belt tournament titles over the last four years and 11 all-time across all conferences.
McDaniel, who was named the Sun Belt Championship Most Outstanding Player, finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Barnes, who joined McDaniel on the All-Tournament Team, added 19 points and 12 rebounds with four dimes.
JMU used big scoring runs in both the first and third quarters, outscoring the Trojans (25-7) by a combined 18 points in the odd stanzas to become the first four seed or lower to win the SBC tournament since Troy did so as the same seed in 2016.
JMU will find out its postseason destination on Sunday, March 15 at 8 p.m. during the NCAA Women’s Selection Show on ESPN.
How It Happened
First Quarter – JMU 20, Troy 12
- The Dukes opened with a 13-0 run, five points courtesy of McDaniel.
- Troy did not score until Leggett hit a baseline floater at the 4:45 mark.
- McDaniel (8) and Barnes (6) combined for 14 points, as the Trojans were limited to 4-of-18 (.222) from the field.
Second Quarter – JMU 34, Troy 30
- After going ahead 23-14 with free throws from Barnes, Troy went on a 12-4 scoring spurt to make it a 27-26 game with 3:30 left in the half.
- The Trojans bounced back in the second, going 9-for-19 (.474) from the floor.
Third Quarter – JMU 58, Troy 44
- McDaniel scored eight straight points to force a Troy timeout and grow the JMU lead to 48-34 with 5:22 left in the quarter.
- The Dukes did not let the Trojans get within single digits the rest of the frame and went into the fourth with a commanding 14-point lead.
Fourth Quarter – JMU 69, Troy 52
- JMU scored the first six points of the fourth to go ahead 66-44, its largest lead of the game.
- The Dukes cruised the rest of the way to capture the Sun Belt Championship.
Game Notes
- JMU’s appearance in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships marks its 14th appearance and first since the 2023 season.
- The Dukes reached 26 wins for the 17th time in program history.
- JMU won a conference tournament for the 11th time in program history and second since joining the Sun Belt in 2022-23.
- Bree Robinson finished with a steal, tying Jess Cichowicz for the most in a single season in JMU history. Robinson now has 82 steals this season.
- Peyton McDaniel (28 points, 10 rebounds) and Ashanti Barnes (19 points, 12 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles, marking the first JMU duo to have a double-double since Barnes and Grace McDonough did so against Old Dominion on Feb. 25, 2026.
- JMU won its seventh straight game by 10 points or more and 12th in a row overall, dating back to Jan. 25.
- McDaniel’s double-double was her eighth of the 2025-26 season and 30th of her career, while Barnes picked up her 12th of the season and 20th of her career.
- The Dukes held their opponents to an average of 53 points across the three games of the Sun Belt Championship. Overall, JMU outscored its opponents by a combined 70 points.
