PENSACOLA, Fla. — No. 1 seed James Madison overpowered No. 4 Coastal Carolina, 89-65, in the Sun Belt Conference Championship semifinals on Sunday, using a dominant inside presence and a balanced scoring attack to advance.

The game took a dramatic turn early when Coastal's leading scorer, Savannah Brooks, was ejected with 2:30 left in the first quarter following a tie-up and subsequent altercation. The Chanticleers (23-8) struggled to recover after losing their top offensive weapon, falling behind 25-18 at the end of the period and never regaining momentum.

James Madison (28-4) took control in the second quarter and never looked back, building a double-digit lead by halftime. Peyton McDaniel led the Dukes with a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Ashanti Barnes added 14 points and eight boards. JMU shot 54.5% from the field and outscored Coastal Carolina 48-26 in the paint.

Kristin Williams paced Coastal with 13 points, hitting four 3-pointers, while Jaylen Ponder and Alancia Ramsey each chipped in 11. The Chanticleers shot just 36.9% from the floor and were out-rebounded 43-29.

James Madison advances to the Sun Belt Championship, where it will face the winner of the Texas State-Southern Miss matchup.