CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina women's basketball team will return to action this week for Sun Belt Conference matchups versus James Madison (Jan. 26) and at the Old Dominion Monarchs (Jan. 28). The tip-off versus JMU on Thursday night is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, while Coastal and ODU will meet in Norfolk, Va., start at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Chanticleers are 9-10 overall on the season and 4-4 in Sun Belt Conference play after splitting conference road contests last week. Coastal picked up a 68-57 win last Thursday to go above .500 for the first time since the 2019-20 season but was unable to hold on Saturday in an 81-74 loss at Appalachian State last Saturday.
 
The James Madison Dukes enter this week's action with the best record in the Sun Belt at 17-3 overall and 7-1 in the conference, while the Monarchs currently sit at 13-8 overall and 5-3 in league play.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
Coastal jumped out to a 44-38 advantage at the halfway point on the play of graduate student Aja Blount and sophomore Angie Juste-Jean, who finished with 13 and 12 first-half points. App State outscored the Chanticleers 22-6 in the third quarter, including a 23-1 run to close out the period, to turn the momentum in its favor. Despite outscoring the Mountaineers in the final quarter, Coastal was unable to come back and fell 81-74 to the home team. Juste-Jean finished with a team-high 21 points, while Blount tallied 19 points.
 
HISTORY BETWEEN COASTAL AND JAMES MADISON
 
The two teams will be meeting for just the third time on Thursday, as Coastal trails in the all-time series to the Dukes at 2-0. The last time the two teams played, JMU claimed a 77-56 home win in December to open Sun Belt Conference play this season.
 
HISTORY BETWEEN COASTAL AND OLD DOMINION
 
The two teams will be meeting for the first time on Saturday, as Coastal Carolina and ODU have never met on the hardwood. The Monarchs joined the Sun Belt Conference this year.
 
ABOUT COASTAL
 
The Chants are averaging 69.5 points per game while shooting 41.0 percent from the field and 32.3 from three-point range. Defensively, Coastal has allowed 66.3 points per game while its opponents are shooting 40.5 percent from the floor.
 
Blount leads the Chants in double-digit scoring with 15.7 points per game, while senior Deaja Richardson and sophomore Arin Freeman are scoring 10.5 and 10.4 points, respectively. Freeman leads the Chants in both assists and takeaways with 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Aside from scoring, Blount leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game, with Freeman and freshman Anaya Barney adding 4.9 and 4.1 boards, respectively.
 
ABOUT JAMES MADISON
 
As a team, James Madison is averaging 71.2 points per contest while allowing just 59.1 points per game. JMU has outshot its opponents at 42.6 percent to 35.2 percent from the floor. On the year, the Dukes have outrebounded their opponents by nine boards per game at 42.6 to 33.5 rebounds per game.
 
Kiki Jefferson leads the team in scoring with 17.8 points per game, while Peyton McDaniel and Kseniia Kozlova have chipped in with 12.6 and 10.5 points per contest each. Jefferson leads the team with 8.1 rebounds per game, while Kozlova (5.0), McDaniel (4.4), and Claire Neff (4.4) are each grabbing more than four rebounds per game.
 
ABOUT OLD DOMINION
 
The Monarchs are averaging 64.3 points per contest while allowing 61.3 points per game. Old Dominion has been outshot by its opponents at 38.5 percent to 41.0 percent from the floor. On the year, ODU has outrebounded its opponents 806-767 in the 21 games to date.
 
Amari Young and Makayla Dickens lead the Monarchs in scoring as the duo is averaging over 10 points per game at 11.1 and 10.9 points per game, respectively. Young is the top rebounder for ODU, averaging 7.8 boards per game, while Brianna Jackson (4.5) and Kaye Clark (4.0) have grabbed four or more rebounds per game.
 
For complete coverage of CCU women's basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.