WBB Game Day Central: James Madison
12/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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The Game
Liberty (3-4, 0-0 Big South) will open a stretch of nine consecutive games away from Lynchburg Sunday at 2 p.m., with a trip to James Madison (4-3, 0-0 CAA). The contest at the JMU Convocation Center will pit the Big South and CAA preseason favorites against one another. Liberty will be in search of its first road win of the season and its first-ever victory at James Madison. The Dukes own a 5-1 edge in the all-time head-to-head series, including victories each of the last two seasons.
Last Time Out
The Lady Flames snapped a two-game losing skid with a season-best offensive output in a 93-75 win over Glenville State, Tuesday evening at the Vines Center. Avery Warley (17 points, 10 rebounds) and freshman Jasmine Gardner (10 points, 13 rebounds) both fashioned double-doubles against the Pioneers, helping Liberty improve to 3-0 at home this season.
A Look Ahead
Liberty will not play again for nearly two weeks after Sunday, as the Lady Flames take a break from competition for the end of the fall semester and final exams. Liberty will return to action on Dec. 18 at 2 p.m., with its first-ever visit to North Carolina Central. Last season, the Lady Flames took the inaugural meeting betwen the two programs by a 64-44 score, Feb. 4 at the Vines Center.
Lady Flames On The Air
All Lady Flames basketball games may be heard LIVE on WWMC 90.9 FM "The Light." Jamie Hall, in his 17th year of broadcasting Lady Flames basketball, will handle the courtside play-by-play duties for all games.
Scouting James Madison
James Madison, the reigning CAA Tournament champion, returns four starters from last year's team and is picked to successfully defend its conference title. The Dukes are 4-3 to start the 2010-11 season, with two of the losses coming to nationally ranked opponents. JMU is ranked No. 13 in the most recent CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25.
The Dukes are led by 5-7 senior guard Dawn Evans, who is averaging 23.0 ppg and has already made 21 three-pointers. She was ranked No. 2 nationally in scoring and No. 3 in three-pointers made in the latest NCAA statistical report and is nearing the program career scoring record with 2,067 career points.
Evans is complemented on the inside by 6-4 senior center Lauren Jimenez, chipping in 12.3 ppg and 8.0 rpg. Tarik Hislop, a 5-7 senior guard, adds 9.3 ppg.
The Coaching Matchup
Liberty Head Coach Carey Green is in his 12th season with the Lady Flames, and has led his team to 10 Big South titles. A five-time Big South Coach of the Year, Green owns a 267-87 career record and is the all-time wins leader at Liberty and among Big South women's basketball coaches. His career winning percentage (.754) ranked 10th all-time among NCAA Division I women's basketball coaches at the season's outset. Green is 1-3 all-time versus James Madison.
Kenny Brooks, a former point guard for the JMU men's basketball team, is 176-82 in his ninth year coaching his alma mater. His last five teams have averaged 25 wins per season, and all five have experienced postseason play. The 2006-07 and 2009-10 Dukes squads reached the NCAA Tournament. The 2007 CAA Coach of the Year is 3-1 all-time versus Liberty.
Liberty-James Madison Series Notes
Liberty is 1-5 all-time versus James Madison, and the Dukes have won the last two meetings between the two Commonwealth foes. The Lady Flames are winless in their four visits to Harrisonburg.
Last season, JMU halted Liberty's 12-game home winning streak by notching a 60-50 victory at the Vines Center on Dec. 1, 2009. James Madison freshman Tarik Hislop led all players with 15 points, while Dawn Evans added 14 markers.
Amber Mays was Liberty's top scorer with 14 points. Devon Brown tied her career low with nine points on 1-16 shooting from the field, but grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.
Liberty Versus the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)
The Lady Flames own a 23-59 all-time record against current members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The Lady Flames are looking to snap a four-game losing streak versus CAA foes, dating back to their matchup with Old Dominion in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament (March 23, 2008). Liberty's last CAA victory was a 79-66 home triumph over James Madison on Dec. 4, 2007.
Liberty is 0-1 all-time against Delaware, 0-2 against Drexel, 2-11 against George Mason, 1-5 against James Madison, 0-2 against Old Dominion, 4-5 against Towson, 9-22 against VCU and 7-11 against William & Mary.
All-Time Record in December
The Lady Flames are 80-104 all-time in December contests, including 36-35 under head coach Carey Green. Last season, Liberty went 2-3 during the calendar year's final month.
This will be the second straight season that the Lady Flames will play only five December contests, and all five games will take place away from Lynchburg.
Competing Against the Commonwealth
Sunday's game will mark the second of Liberty's six scheduled contests versus Virginia opponents this season. The Lady Flames are 1-0 versus Commonwealth foes so far in 2010-11, after defeating Virginia Union, 71-19, on Nov. 16.
Liberty's remaining Commonwealth clashes in 2010-11 include a home game against Radford (Jan. 17) and road trips to VCU (Dec. 21), Longwood (Jan. 14) and Radford (Feb. 19).
Down the Road from Devon's House
Sunday's game will be played less than 40 miles from Devon Brown's hometown of Waynesboro. A knee injury has sidelined the Big South Preseason Player of the Year for the first seven games of the 2010-11 season, but there is a chance she could make her season debut in front of a sizeable collection of friends and family members at James Madison.
JMU head coach Kenny Brooks is very familiar with Waynesboro. Like Brown, he is an alumnus of Waynesboro High School.
Pack Your Bags
Liberty's next home game is not until Jan. 17, when the Lady Flames return to the Vines Center for a Big South Conference matchup against Radford. Before then, the Lady Flames will play nine consecutive games away from home, marking the squad's longest road swing since a 10-game trip during the 1991-92 season.
The lengthy road trip will include games in four different states (Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia). During the string of road contests, the Lady Flames will travel over 2,000 miles by bus.
Home Sweet Home
Perhaps no current Liberty player enjoys home games at the Vines Center more than sophomore guard/forward Jelena Antic. She is averaging 11.1 ppg during 14 career home games, as opposed to 7.1 ppg in 16 contests away from Lynchburg.
Slow Starts, Fast Finishes
This is the sixth time in Carey Green's 12 seasons as head coach that the Lady Flames have started 3-4 or worse in their first seven games of the season. The first five times it happened, Liberty went on to win the Big South Conference title.
In 2000-01, the Lady Flames were 2-5 at this juncture, part of a 2-9 start to the season. Liberty finished the year 18-12.
The following year, Liberty started 3-4. The Lady Flames' record stood at 4-6, before the team went 19-1 in its next 20 games to reach the NCAA Tournament. The 2001-02 Liberty squad ended up at 23-8.
The 2003-04 Lady Flames were also 3-4 at this point in the season. Later in the year, Liberty reeled off a 19-game winning streak, pushing its final record to 25-7.
In 2004-05, Liberty won just three of its first seven games. Despite the slow start, the Lady Flames went on to reach the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 and close the year with a 26-7 ledger.
The 2008-09 campaign saw Liberty start 1-6 through seven games. The Lady Flames were 3-7, before winning 21 of their next 22 games and wrapping up the year at 24-9.
Noting the 90s
Tuesday's 93-75 home win over Glenville State marked the 12th time in Carey Green's 12 seasons as head coach that the Lady Flames have hit the 90-point plateau. It was Liberty's first 90-point game at the Vines Center since Dec. 13, 2008 versus St. Paul's.
Road Success
Liberty is in search of its first win away from the Vines Center this season, as the Lady Flames are 0-2 in road games and 0-2 in neutral-site contests.
The Lady Flames have been a strong road team in recent years. In the last three seasons, Liberty is 42-15 in games played away from the Vines Center.
Frazier's First Award
Point guard Emily Frazier was tabbed the Big South Freshman of the Week on Tuesday, becoming the first Lady Flame to earn a conference weekly honor this season.
Missing No. 40
Big South Preseason Player of the Year Devon Brown has yet to take the court for the Lady Flames in 2010-11, due to injury. In her absence, Liberty is 3-4 and is scoring just 57.1 ppg.
Two seasons ago, another Big South Preseason Player of the Year wearing uniform No. 40 missed an extended period of time early in Liberty's season due to injury. Megan Frazee sat out eight games during the 2008-09 campaign with an ankle injury. Liberty went 2-6 with Frazee sidelined, scoring only 58.4 ppg.
With Frazee in the lineup that year, Liberty posted a 22-3 record and boosted its scoring average to 64.0 ppg.
Double Digits x 9
Avery Warley, Jelena Antic, Tolu Omotola, Danika Dale and Jasmine Gardner all scored in double figures against Glenville State on Tuesday. They join Emily Frazier, Rachel McLeod, Dymond Morgan and LaKendra Washington in the group of nine Lady Flames who have a double-digit scoring effort to their credit already in 2010-11.
Windex Warley
Just seven games into her junior season, Avery Warley already owns a spot on Liberty's top 10 career rebounding list. With 589 career boards, Warley sits No. 9 in program history.
