The Michigan State Spartans women's basketball team defeated the James Madison Dukes 95-69 on Thursday night at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. The Spartans were led by a game-high 25 points from junior forward Julia Ayrault, who also added 15 rebounds.
Michigan State shot 50% from the field and made 15 three-pointers, while James Madison shot 35.4% from the field and made just five threes. The Spartans also outrebounded the Dukes 50-38.
Ayrault was dominant in the paint for Michigan State, scoring 18 of her points in the second half. She also grabbed seven offensive rebounds. Abbey Kimball added 21 points for the Spartans, going 5-for-10 from three-point range.
Jamia Hazell led James Madison with 19 points and eight rebounds. Peyton McDaniel chipped in with 13 points for the Dukes.
The Spartans took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Dukes 26-12 to take a 44-20 lead at halftime. They extended their lead to as many as 31 points in the fourth quarter before settling for the 26-point victory.
With the win, Michigan State improves to 5-0 on the season. James Madison falls to 4-2.
Game Notes
- Michigan State's 15 made three-pointers were the most allowed in program history.
- James Madison held an advantage in points in the paint (34-30), but MSU scored more bench points (27-20), fast break points (16-12) and second chance points (11-4).
- The Spartans outrebounded the Dukes 50-38. This is the first time James Madison has lost the rebounding battle since Old Dominion grabbed one more board (36-35) in the Sun Belt Conference semifinals last season on March 5.
- Additionally, the program has not allowed a team to come away with 50+ rebounds since Georgia Southern recorded 53 on Jan. 19, 2023. Moreover, 38 rebounds are a season low for JMU.
- The loss was James Madison's biggest since dropping a 93-47 affair to North Carolina on Dec. 5, 2021.
- Hazell's 19 points were the most for her since scoring the same amount versus West Virginia on Dec. 12, 2021.
- McDaniel connected on three triples, her first game this season with three or more makes from deep.
