James Madison women's basketball wins Sun Belt championship

Dukes defeat Troy 69-52 to claim second conference title in four years

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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The No. 4 seed James Madison women's basketball team jumped out to a 13-0 lead and never looked back, defeating the No. 2 seed Troy Trojans 69-52 to win the Sun Belt Conference tournament championship. JMU's Peyton McDaniel had a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds and was named Tournament MVP, while Ashanti Barnes added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Dukes.

Why it matters

This win marks James Madison's second Sun Belt Conference tournament championship in the last four years, and they will now advance to the NCAA Tournament on a 12-game winning streak. For Troy, the loss ends their hopes of an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but they are hoping for another postseason appearance in the WNIT after making the Final Four in 2024 and the Championship in 2025.

The details

James Madison jumped out to a 13-0 lead to start the game, and while Troy was able to cut the deficit to 34-30 at halftime, the Dukes opened the second half with three straight turnovers that JMU converted into a 5-0 run. The Dukes never let Troy back into the game, winning by a final score of 69-52. JMU shot 40.3% from the field compared to just 30.3% for Troy, and the Dukes scored 24 points off of 16 Troy turnovers.

  • The Sun Belt Conference tournament championship game was played on March 9, 2026 at the Pensacola Bay Center.

The players

Peyton McDaniel

The James Madison junior was named the Sun Belt Conference tournament MVP after averaging 25 points per game in the Dukes' three tournament wins.

Ashanti Barnes

The James Madison senior recorded a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the championship game.

Chanda Rigby

The Troy women's basketball head coach saw her team fall behind early and struggle to recover, ultimately losing 69-52.

Sean O'Regan

The James Madison head coach led the Dukes to their second Sun Belt Conference tournament championship in the last four years.

Fortuna Ngnawo

The Troy senior finished with a team-high 18 points and 12 rebounds in the championship game.

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What they’re saying

“I think this game was lost in the first few minutes of the first quarter and the first few minutes of the third quarter. We came out at the beginning of the third quarter with three straight turnovers when we were probably the most amped up and willing to play the best.”

— Chanda Rigby, Troy women's basketball head coach (Yahoo Sports)

“For us to be in that locker room with two overtime losses, I'm so happy for them they get to celebrate like this. Because that's what it's all about.”

— Sean O'Regan, James Madison women's basketball head coach (Yahoo Sports)

What’s next

James Madison will now await their NCAA Tournament seeding, which will be announced on March 15 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.

The takeaway

This championship win for James Madison is especially meaningful for the program after they suffered tough overtime losses in the tournament finals in 2024 and 2025. Meanwhile, Troy will have to wait and see if they receive a postseason bid to the WNIT, where they have found success in recent years.