Tuesday, December 1
Lynchburg, Va.
7:00 PM
Liberty University
5-1
50
vs
60
James Madison
5-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison | 28 | 32 | 60 |
| Liberty | 16 | 34 | 50 |
JMU Takes Battle of Unbeatens, 60-50
12/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Points came at a premium Tuesday evening, in a matchup between two unbeaten Commonwealth women's basketball teams at the Vines Center. In the end, visiting James Madison held off Liberty for a 60-50 victory.
Liberty, which was limited to a season-low 30.5 percent (18-of-59) field goal percentage, drops to 5-1. Amber Mays equaled a career high with 14 points in defeat, while Devon Brown hauled in a career-best 13 rebounds.
James Madison remains unscathed at 5-0, after putting starting guards Tarik Hislop (15 points) and Dawn Evans (14 points) in double digits. The Dukes also halted the Lady Flames' 12-game home winning streak.
The score was only 2-2 at the first media timeout, after a sloppy opening four minutes of play. The two undefeated teams combined to shoot 2-13 from the floor and commit eight turnovers during the contest's early stages.
James Madison held the Lady Flames without a made field goal for a total of 5:27, while the Dukes recorded an 11-1 run. Five straight points by Kiara Francisco off the bench gave JMU an 11-3 lead, 13:55 before the intermission.
Evans connected on a three-pointer from well beyond the arc, providing the Dukes with their first double-digit lead, 16-5, at the 11:30 mark.
James Madison's advantage reached 15 points, 22-7, when Nichelle Glover canned a jumper from the paint at 6:12.
A 5-0 Liberty burst, solely consisting of Brown free throws, pulled the Lady Flames to within 10, at 22-12.
However, that was as close as Liberty got for the remainder of the opening stanza, which ended with James Madison in front by a 28-16 margin. For the Lady Flames, it was their lowest-scoring half since Liberty notched 16 points in the first half of a Feb. 24, 2007 home loss to UNC Asheville.
The Lady Flames, who entered the game with a 50.2 percent field goal mark for the season, shot only 13.8 percent (4-of-29) during the first 20 minutes. However, Liberty stayed within striking distance by sinking eight of their 10 foul shots and outrebounding the Dukes, 26-25.
James Madison opened a double-digit halftime advantage, despite shooting only 34.4 percent (11-of-32) from the field itself.
Individually, Brown paced the Lady Flames in both points (7) and rebounds (7), despite misfiring on all eight of her first-half field goal attempts. Avery Warley hauled in five caroms of her own.
Kanita Shepherd led JMU in first-half scoring, notching eight points. Teammate Sarah Williams pulled down a team-high five boards.
Liberty trimmed its deficit to 10 twice during the opening minute of the second half, including at 30-20 on Kylee Beecher's putback hoop.
Williams' free throw with 17:08 showing on the second-half clock bolstered JMU's lead back to 36-22.
The Lady Flames then limited the Dukes to one made field goal over the next 9:50, enabling homestanding Liberty to compose an 11-2 run. Warley split a pair of free throws at the 10:05 mark of the period, shaving JMU's lead to 38-33.
Freshman Hislop swished a long triple, capping the Dukes' ensuing 9-2 surge. Her long-distance connection gave James Madison a 47-35 edge with 7:17 remaining.
Liberty made one more charge at JMU, when four consecutive points by Warley narrowed the visitors' advantage to 50-46 at 2:54.
However, the Dukes were able to put the game away by scoring the next six points over a 2:13 span, including four from the foul line. The final margin was 60-50, as JMU became the first visiting team ever to win in the local rivals' head-to-head series.
James Madison did not shoot much better than Liberty on Tuesday, finishing the game at 33.3 percent (18-of-54) from the field. The Dukes got to the foul line 15 more times than Liberty, though, sinking 19 charity tosses on the evening.
Liberty owned a 46-41 rebounding edge, winning the battle of the boards for the sixth straight time to start the year. However, James Madison's bench outscored Liberty's reserves, 19-6.
Mays was the lone Lady Flame to score in double figures, as Brown and Warley chipped in with nine points apiece. Warley added seven boards to complement Brown's work on the glass.
For James Madison, Evans added a game-high five assists to go along with her 14 points, but was held well beneath her season scoring average of 26.8 ppg. Shepherd made it three Dukes in double figures, ending up with 11 points and six caroms off the bench.
Liberty will conclude a quick, two-game homestand Saturday at 4 p.m., when the Lady Flames play host to Glenville State. The high-scoring Pioneers of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference are averaging 97.7 ppg through their first three contests of the season.
Meanwhile, James Madison will wrap up a four-game road swing with a trip to No. 14/15 Virginia. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon, at John Paul Jones Arena.
Liberty, which was limited to a season-low 30.5 percent (18-of-59) field goal percentage, drops to 5-1. Amber Mays equaled a career high with 14 points in defeat, while Devon Brown hauled in a career-best 13 rebounds.
James Madison remains unscathed at 5-0, after putting starting guards Tarik Hislop (15 points) and Dawn Evans (14 points) in double digits. The Dukes also halted the Lady Flames' 12-game home winning streak.
The score was only 2-2 at the first media timeout, after a sloppy opening four minutes of play. The two undefeated teams combined to shoot 2-13 from the floor and commit eight turnovers during the contest's early stages.
James Madison held the Lady Flames without a made field goal for a total of 5:27, while the Dukes recorded an 11-1 run. Five straight points by Kiara Francisco off the bench gave JMU an 11-3 lead, 13:55 before the intermission.
Evans connected on a three-pointer from well beyond the arc, providing the Dukes with their first double-digit lead, 16-5, at the 11:30 mark.
James Madison's advantage reached 15 points, 22-7, when Nichelle Glover canned a jumper from the paint at 6:12.
A 5-0 Liberty burst, solely consisting of Brown free throws, pulled the Lady Flames to within 10, at 22-12.
However, that was as close as Liberty got for the remainder of the opening stanza, which ended with James Madison in front by a 28-16 margin. For the Lady Flames, it was their lowest-scoring half since Liberty notched 16 points in the first half of a Feb. 24, 2007 home loss to UNC Asheville.
The Lady Flames, who entered the game with a 50.2 percent field goal mark for the season, shot only 13.8 percent (4-of-29) during the first 20 minutes. However, Liberty stayed within striking distance by sinking eight of their 10 foul shots and outrebounding the Dukes, 26-25.
James Madison opened a double-digit halftime advantage, despite shooting only 34.4 percent (11-of-32) from the field itself.
Individually, Brown paced the Lady Flames in both points (7) and rebounds (7), despite misfiring on all eight of her first-half field goal attempts. Avery Warley hauled in five caroms of her own.
Kanita Shepherd led JMU in first-half scoring, notching eight points. Teammate Sarah Williams pulled down a team-high five boards.
Liberty trimmed its deficit to 10 twice during the opening minute of the second half, including at 30-20 on Kylee Beecher's putback hoop.
Williams' free throw with 17:08 showing on the second-half clock bolstered JMU's lead back to 36-22.
The Lady Flames then limited the Dukes to one made field goal over the next 9:50, enabling homestanding Liberty to compose an 11-2 run. Warley split a pair of free throws at the 10:05 mark of the period, shaving JMU's lead to 38-33.
Freshman Hislop swished a long triple, capping the Dukes' ensuing 9-2 surge. Her long-distance connection gave James Madison a 47-35 edge with 7:17 remaining.
Liberty made one more charge at JMU, when four consecutive points by Warley narrowed the visitors' advantage to 50-46 at 2:54.
However, the Dukes were able to put the game away by scoring the next six points over a 2:13 span, including four from the foul line. The final margin was 60-50, as JMU became the first visiting team ever to win in the local rivals' head-to-head series.
James Madison did not shoot much better than Liberty on Tuesday, finishing the game at 33.3 percent (18-of-54) from the field. The Dukes got to the foul line 15 more times than Liberty, though, sinking 19 charity tosses on the evening.
Liberty owned a 46-41 rebounding edge, winning the battle of the boards for the sixth straight time to start the year. However, James Madison's bench outscored Liberty's reserves, 19-6.
Mays was the lone Lady Flame to score in double figures, as Brown and Warley chipped in with nine points apiece. Warley added seven boards to complement Brown's work on the glass.
For James Madison, Evans added a game-high five assists to go along with her 14 points, but was held well beneath her season scoring average of 26.8 ppg. Shepherd made it three Dukes in double figures, ending up with 11 points and six caroms off the bench.
Liberty will conclude a quick, two-game homestand Saturday at 4 p.m., when the Lady Flames play host to Glenville State. The high-scoring Pioneers of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference are averaging 97.7 ppg through their first three contests of the season.
Meanwhile, James Madison will wrap up a four-game road swing with a trip to No. 14/15 Virginia. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon, at John Paul Jones Arena.
Team Stats
JMU
LIBERTY
FG%
.333
.305
3FG%
.278
.111
FT%
.594
.765
RB
41
46
TO
15
20
STL
4
6
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
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