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James Madison Women's Basketball Falls at Belmont

Dukes Unable to Overcome Slow Start

JMU Drops to 5-4 with Loss

James Madison women's basketball fell to Belmont 75-58 on Saturday afternoon at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The Dukes drop to 5-4 on the season, while Belmont improves to 7-2.

After falling behind 19-8 in the first quarter, JMU outscored Belmont 15-10 in the second to trail 29-23 at halftime. However, the Dukes were unable to sustain their momentum in the second half, as Belmont pulled away for the 17-point victory.

Junior guard Kiki Jefferson led the Dukes with 15 points, while sophomore guard Jamia Hazell added 13. Senior forward Kayla Cooper-Williams grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

For Belmont, senior guard Destinee Wells scored a game-high 20 points, while sophomore forward Madison Bartley added 17. Junior guard Tuti Jones dished out a game-high six assists.

James Madison will return to action on Tuesday, December 6, when they host High Point at the JMU Convocation Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Post-Game Quotes

**James Madison head coach Sean O'Regan** "We didn't come out with the energy and focus that we needed to compete against a good Belmont team. We gave up too many easy baskets in the first half and never really recovered. We need to learn from this game and be better prepared next time out." **Belmont head coach Bart Brooks** "I thought our team played with great effort and intensity today. We executed our game plan well and were able to take advantage of some early JMU mistakes. We're happy to get the win and improve our record to 7-2."