HARRISONBURG, Va. – The ULM women's basketball team (11-18, 7-11 Sun Belt) fell to JMU (27-4, 18-0 Sun Belt) on Friday night (Feb. 28), 51-79, leaving JMU undefeated in conference play. The Dukes shot 47% throughout the game, tallying 46 points in the paint.  
 
Nya Valentine led the team in scoring for the second time this season, dropping 15 points, including three triples, two rebounds and three assists. Jakayla Johnson snagged nine points, seven rebounds and two steals on the night. Katlyn Manuel also scored nine, picking up five boards and a block. Brikayla Gray led the team in rebounding with eight and two points.
 
Manuel got things started in the contest, with a layup and two free throws giving ULM the 4-0 lead early on. But a triple from the Dukes got them hot on a 6-0 scoring run. Manuel hit back to get back the momentum, but James Madison kept firing on all cylinders. A three-pointer by Valentine cut the lead down, but a Peyton McDaniel triple hit back just moments later to close out the quarter. Kseniia Kozlova was also hitting hard, scoring the first four points of the second quarter. Manuel continued to battle for ULM, with Valentine getting in on the action to hold on. A scoring drought for both teams came for the final four minutes of the half, with James Madison finding a score in the last six seconds for the 40-23 lead at halftime.
 
The Dukes continued to stay hot, even as Sakyia White and Gray continued to chip away. White dropped seven points in the third, but with James Madison shooting 50%, they continued to find scoring opportunities. In the fourth, Valentine got hot from beyond the arc, knocking down two triples to reach double digits. Sha'Miya Butler also saw action in the fourth, picking up a season-high four points.
 
The women's basketball team will travel to Pensacola to compete in the Sun Belt Basketball Championships next week. The conference tournament will be taking place March 4-10 at the Pensacola Bay Center.