Marshall Hands Dukes its Second Straight Loss

The Dukes lost their second straight game, both on the road, as they fell to C-USA opponent Marshall 67-63 in a non-conference men's basketball game on Tuesday night. 


The Dukes let a second half lead get away from them. They let a six point lead slip away with 15 minutes to go. It as a back-and-forth battle from that point. Marshall took its first lead of the game on a three by Shaquille Johnson at 49-47 with 10 minutes to go. JMU was within one at 60-59 with 3:18 to go after a pair of free throws by junior forward Rayshawn Goins. 


However, the Thundering Herd responded with a key 5-0 push to make it 65-59 with 1:09 remaining.  A layup by Baines started the key stretch.  Johnson then hit 1-of-2 free throws and Johnny Thomas added a layup for the six-point advantage.


The Dukes responded with a jumped with 55 seconds left. The Dukes forced a turnover with a steal by Andrev Semenov and Devon Moore hit a layup with 47 seconds to make it a two-point game at 65-63.


Marshall ran down the shot clock and DeAndre Kane missed a three pointer but Marshall grabbed the offensive board knocked down its free throws. 


JMU outshot Marshall 40.6% to 39.3% while the Herd made 5-of-14 threes (35.7%) compared to 5-for-17 (29.4%) for the Dukes.  MU had a significant advantage at the charity stripe, hitting 18-of-26 while JMU had just 11 opportunities, making six. 


JMU will next be in action on Saturday at 7 p.m. with a non-conference game at Radford.


-MO

JMU Travels to Marshall

It took them a little bit long than expected to get to Marshall, because the bus caught some low flames, but the Dukes will start a home and home game against Marshall tonight, the first being in Huntington, WV. The Dukes will look to bounce back from a buzzer beating loss to CAA opponent Georgia State. The Dukes had their longest winning streak since 1993-94 snapped at six games, but will look to rebuild tonight. Tip-off at 7 p.m.
Here are some team previews:

The Dukes are led by senior forward Denzel Bowles, who posted his fifth double-double in six games in the Georgia State loss.  He is averaging 18.4 points, and 9.0 rebounds per game and is shooting a team high 67.5% from the field, which ranks eighth nationally in NCAA Division I.  Junior forward Rayshawn Goins is averaging 14.9 points, and 8.0 rebounds per game. Redshirt sophomore Devon Moore leads the team in assists with 3.6 per game, and also contributes 11.9 points per game.


The Herd is led by redshirt freshman guard DeAndre Kane, who is averaging 17.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.  Senior forward Tirrell Baines is cleaning up the boards with a team high 7.6 rebounds per game, while also contributing 12.9 points per game.  Junior guard Shaquille Johnson rounds out the backcourt for the Herd.  He is averaging 11.4 points per game and has also tallied 12 steals on the season.  Junior swingman Dago Pena is a player to watch who leads the team in three-point percentage, shooting 45.9% from behind the arc and recording 11.0 points per game.




-MO

Dukes Lose on Last Second Shot

From the Breeze...

The JMU men's basketball team opened its Colonial Athletic Association schedule on Saturday with a heartbreaking 64-63 loss at the hands of the Georgia State Panthers in Atlanta.

JMU (6-2, 0-1 in the CAA) took a 63-62 lead with 3.5 seconds left in the game after redshirt sophomore guard Devon Moore made one of his two free throws. On the ensuing possession, GSU redshirt junior guard Jihad Ali recovered a loose ball and laid the ball in as time expired, giving the Panthers the win.

The loss snaps JMU's six game winning streak, the program's longest since 1994. The final basket was somewhat unlucky for JMU, as the Dukes' redshirt sophomore forward Andrey Semenov blocked a Panther's shot with one second left, knocking the ball straight to Ali for the easy basket.

JMU had led 62-58 but was nearly held scoreless for the final three minutes of the game. The team had its worst shooting performance of the year, going 31 percent from the field while GSU shot 45 percent.

JMU senior forward Denzel Bowles had a game high 21 points and 14 rebounds for his fifth double-double on the season. Junior forward Julius Wells added 15 points for the Dukes while junior forward Rayshawn Goins had nine points and 12 rebounds.

For Georgia State, Brandon McGee and Josh Micheaux had 15 and 12 points respectively. Ali had eight points and 10 rebounds.

The Dukes will play Marshall University this Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Huntington W.Va. JMU will not have another CAA matchup until Jan. 3, when the team hosts Northeastern University.

-MO

Thoughts from Monday's Press Conference

I attended the typical Monday press conference at Ham's Restaurant today, but this time it was all about basketball as both the women's and men's head coaches were in attendance. Here are some memorable statements by both.

BROOKS

"We're passing around a bug better than we are a basketball." - JMU women's head coach Kenny Brooks on how the flu is infecting his team.

"Duke is probably not 17 points better than us, but it was a good experience." - Referring to the 75-58 loss courtesy of the No. 5 Duke University Blue Devils

"Lauren [Jimenez] has a contest with Denzel Bowles to see who can make the most double-doubles this season."

"Courtney [Hamner] probably played one of the best games she's ever played, despite her, excuse the expression, looking like death Saturday. Her face was about as pale as her hair." - Referring to the flu Hamner was down with Saturday and the same illness that kept senior guard Dawn Evans from playing Sunday against Liberty University.

"Tarik [Hislop] had to handle the game instead of sitting back and watching Dawn." - Referring to Evans being out sick and sophomore guard Hislop taking over her role.

"If it was a CAA championship game, we probably would have played Dawn."

"Having a week off is like the best Christmas present I could ask for right now. Exam week is a coach's favorite week."

"I thought they did a good job of not retaliating. But when we got into the locker room they told me every little thing that happened." - Referring to the rough play by Liberty in the final minutes of the game and the questionable calls by the referees.

BRADY

"We got hurt by the speed of their guards." - JMU men's basketball head coach Matt Brady referring to the game against Longwood University.

"Georgia State's height poised an issue for Goins, it's probably the first time all season I have seen him struggle like that."

"We made enough mistakes that we could have lost the game in regulation." - Referring to the heartbreaking 64-63 buzzer-beating loss to GSU.

"Devon [Moore] had three turnovers in 44 seconds. You can't win games with that."

"Oh, we are completely non-prejudicial. We will turn over the ball in any set!"

"I wouldn't use the word tough to describe us."

"I have a lot of faith in Humpty [Hitchens] as a player, all I want him to do is shoot and feed to the post. I don't want him to feel like he has to be a playmaker too."

-CH

Courtney Hamner leads team as Dukes defeat Liberty Flames

Story by Emmie Cleveland in the Dec. 6 issue of The Breeze

The JMU women's basketball team was missing its leading scorer but still pulled out a win over Liberty University at the Convocation Center yesterday.

Senior guard Dawn Evans, who averages 23 points-per-game, was out with the flu. She sat on the bench in her warm-ups as her team defeated the Flames 54-51.

"We knew that individuals needed to step up," said senior guard Courtney Hamner. "When she's not there, it's definitely a big loss, so we knew we had to step up offensively big time."

Hamner played 36 minutes and led JMU (5-3) with 14 points. She failed to mention, however, that she has been fighting the same bug that benched Evans.

"If Dawn were healthy today, Courtney wouldn't have played," JMU head coach Kenny Brooks said. "Courtney's got the flu. She's got the flu terribly. We held her out of practice yesterday with the anticipation that she wouldn't play and Dawn would play. And then we got the news Dawn couldn't play and Courtney stepped up."

Sophomore Tarik Hislop also helped compensate for Evans' absence, as she took over her usual position at point guard and added 12 points.

The game was closely fought, with five lead changes and the score tied 11 times.

With 12 minutes remaining, the Dukes went on a 13-2 run, giving them their biggest lead of the game at 53-42. Liberty answered immediately with nine consecutive points, putting the game within a basket with less than two minutes on the clock.

According to Liberty head coach Carey Green, an unlikely freshman guard won the game for JMU.

"There's an X factor, and there's no question the X factor was Debbie Smith," Green said. "You look at her stats, and she's not in the stat book, basically, and here's a girl that came in and scored five points and got three rebounds.

"And I think everybody else is playing their game and doing what they're supposed to do, and you have an X factor come in there and made a difference."

Brooks said he put Smith, along with freshman guard Kirby Burkholder, through boot camp this past week in practice to toughen them up.

"I think she learned a lot," Brooks said, "and today she was able to come out and was able to help us tremendously. I'm happy for her because she's our future... She's very talented, it's just a matter of her getting comfortable, and I think she took steps in doing that today."

Senior center Lauren Jimenez was JMU's third player with points in double figures. She added 12 and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

"I feel like I can do better," she said. "I mean, yeah, I was consistent. I'm hitting my average... but I feel like my rebounds should go up. Me being able to score down low is going to open a lot up for the guards or other post players."

JMU will continue play with their next two games on the road against Middle Tennessee State University on Sunday and Monmouth University, Saturday Dec. 18.

-CH

JMU Trails at Halftime

Dukes down 41-36 at the break...

Longwood went up by as many as 8 at 39-31 but the Dukes came back with a 5-0 run to keep them close. Rayshawn Goins and Humpty Hitchens led the Dukes with 9 points and Denzel contributed 8 points and 8 rebounds. Expect him to get a double-double Aaron Mitchell led the Lancers with 16 points.

Devon Moore is in foul trouble with 3 fouls so Brady will have to monitor that in the second half.

Go DUKES!


-MO

Dukes Travel for In-State Battle

From JMUsports.com....

James Madison (5-1) will start a five-game run of road contests on Wednesday, December 1 at 7 p.m. taking on the Longwood Lancers (3-4) in Willett Hall in Farmville, Va.

The game will mark the sixth time the two teams have played since their first meeting in the 2004-05 season.  JMU leads the all-time series 3-2 with each team winning every game on its home court.  The Dukes have not won in Farmville. 

The game also represents the first live televised sporting event in Longwood's history.  Fox College Sports (FCS) Atlantic (available DirecTV 617/623 and various other cable providers, including Harrisonburg Comcast channel 262) will air the game live at 7 p.m. MASN will re-air the game immediately afterwards at 9 p.m.

The Dukes are in the midst of a five-game winning streak after playing five games in eight days.  Following a three day rest, JMU will look to make it six in a row for the first time since a seven-game streak in the 1993-94 season, which was the last time the Dukes won the CAA and went to the NCAA Tournament.

JMU senior forward Denzel Bowles had a productive and impressive week.  Bowles led the Dukes to a 4-0 week, recording three double-doubles, earning MVP honors in the Harrisonburg Subregional of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, and setting a JMU record for free-throw percentage.  He averaged 18.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game as JMU earned wins over Princeton, Presbyterian, Bucknell, and Eastern Michigan.  In last Saturday's game versus Eastern Michigan, Bowles went a perfect 13-13 from the line setting a new JMU record for free-throw percentage in a game, which was also a new Convocation Center record.  Bowles' performance also earned him CAA Co-Player of the Week honors.

The Lancers are coming off a Monday night loss to Fairleigh Dickinson.  The Lancers dropped their first home game of the season after starting 3-0 at home with wins over UVA-Wise, Columbia, and Montreat.  The Lancers and Dukes have each suffered a loss this season against an AP Top 25 opponent.  JMU lost its season opener at No. 3 Kansas State, while Longwood also lost its season opener to No. 4 Kansas.

Longwood is shooting 47.2% from the field this season and is averaging 20.0 assists per game.  The Lancers are led by junior center Antwan Carter, who is averaging a double-double so far with 15.6 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.  Senior guard Aaron Mitchell is also pitching in with 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.  Leading the team in assists with 5.0 per game is junior guard Jeremiah Bowman, who has also tallied 11.7 points per game and nine steals on the season.

JMU is led this season by the frontcourt duo of Denzel Bowles and Rayshawn Goins.  Bowles is averaging 17.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game and is shooting a team best 67.9% from the field, which also ranks ninth nationally.  Junior forward Goins leads the team in rebounding with 8.0 per game and also averages 16.2 points per game. He was also named to the CBE Subregional All-Tournament Team.

The Dukes' backcourt is led by redshirt sophomore Devon Moore, who is averaging 12.5 points and 3.5 assists on the season.  Junior guard Humpty Hitchens has tallied 8.5 points per game this season and a team high seven steals throughout six games. 

Following the Longwood game the Dukes will travel to Atlanta, Ga. to take on the Georgia State Panthers in the GSU Sports Arena on Saturday, December 4 at 2 p.m.  The game will open CAA conference play for both teams and will be the only league game until Jan. 3.

-MO

A Look Ahead/Back at JMU Women's Basketball Thus Far

By all accounts, the JMU women’s basketball team should win the 2011 Colonial Athletic Association title.

         The Dukes are the reigning champions with four out of five starters returning, including nationally recognized senior guard Dawn Evans. But JMU head coach Kenny Brooks feels everyone else will be out to spoil JMU’s chances to repeat.

            “We play with a little bit of a target on our backs,” Brooks said. “Now with the preseason ranking, it’s just amplified. With the national exposure we’ve gotten, teams want to play us and I have a feeling we are going to get everyone’s A-game.”

             

          Perhaps all the preseason media hype is too much. While the Dukes were picked by the CAA coaches to take the title for the second season in a row, the team has gotten off to a rocky start so far in non-conference play, currently 3-3 on the season. Evans specifically feels preseason predictions add an unwarranted amount of pressure for her and the team as a whole.

            “People are going to look for us and prepare for us every game,” Evans said. “It can make it hard sometimes.”

            Looking to bounce back from a disappointing home opener 69-64 loss to Hampton University, the Dukes spent their Thanksgiving break in Cancun, Mexico, participating in the Caribbean Challenge. There, they went 1-1, their loss coutesy of the No. 20 University of Iowa Hawkeyes 67-61 in overtime.

Despite the loss, Evans was able to notch her 2,000^th career point, only the second player in school history to do so. Tamera Young (2004-08), who currently plays for the Chicago Sky, was the first.  Evans now stands fourth in the CAA record books.

Senior center Lauren Jimenez, who is recovering from a broken toe, was a dominant force underneath in her return, pouring in 18 points against the University of Montana Grizzlies. Also, senior guard Courtney Hamner had a career-high five trey’s against the Grizzlies, who the Dukes defeated 76-69 in the first of the two games.

Sophomores Nikki Newman, a forward, and guard Tarik Hislop are also major contributors, with Newman achieving career-high 14 rebounds against Montana and Hislop consistently ranking second on the team in scoring. Hislop was also a preseason CAA Second-Team selection.

            While the final score against Iowa was close, the Dukes managed to give up a 10-point second-half lead. Brooks emphasized in press conferences last season how the team continuously failed to put together a cohesive 60-minute game. So far this season, the trend is continuing.

            JMU fell to No. 5 Duke University Tuesday night, 75-58. While the Dukes came out strong, staying within one to two points for the first 10 minutes of the game, it was their shooting trouble that became their downfall. JMU would only make 29 percent of their second half shots.

            “I see those kids make those shots every day,” Brooks said. “They were all on target, just in-and-out. They just didn’t fall for us.”

Duke was able to hold Evans to a mere 11 points in the first half. Evans finished with 20, while Jimenez had a season-high 19. Duke’s head coach Joanne McCallie explained how it was always in their game plan to consistently pressure and eventually frustrate Evans.

“I thought Jasmine Thomas was extremely strong in defending her [Evans] and making her work for her shots,” McCallie said.

JMU has six more games before conference play begins on Jan. 2, when JMU hosts Northeastern University. The Huskies finished 13-18 overall, with a 7-11 record in the CAA.  Northeastern specifically might not pose much of a threat, but multiple teams in the CAA are looking to, and have the talent, capable of stripping the Dukes of their title.

            The most talked about player outside of Evans is the University of Delaware’s sophomore guard/forward Elena Delle Donne. Both shared the title of Co-Preseason Players of the Year and both are on every national watch-list, from the Naismith Player of the Year Award to the Wade Trophy.

 Delle Donne has a leg up on Evans, however, as she is the reigning CAA Player of the Year and currently leads the nation in scoring with 27.4 points per game. Evans is right on her heels in second with 26.6.

            The Blue Hens are 5-0 so far for the first time since the 1992-93 season and were picked to finish third in the conference. JMU will travel to Newark on Feb. 20 to face the Blue Hens on their home turf.

            “You go up there with a chip on your shoulder,” Evans said. “I’ve been runner-up for Player of the Year going on two, three years now. I have to go and prove that what I do for my team is good enough to get an award like that.”

Last season, the Dukes managed to beat the Blue Hens 88-83, despite Delle Donne’s record-breaking 54 points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer to send it to overtime. The Naval Academy’s David Robinson previously held the Convocation Center scoring record with his 45-point performance on January 10, 1987.

While all eyes will be on the Feb. 20 match-up, the remaining two teams finishing out the top four are equally as threatening.

Old Dominion University, picked second, won the CAA title 17 years in a row from 1992-2008. Senior guard Jasmine Parker, who was selected to the All-CAA Second Team and CAA All-Defensive Team last season, leads the Monarchs in scoring. Parker is pacing the conference with 15 steals in three games. Currently, ODU sits at No. 2 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, leading all CAA teams with JMU at No. 10, Delaware at No. 12 and Virginia Commonwealth University at No. 23.

Hofstra University, the 2009 CAA champions, was picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll. The Pride are riding a three-game winning streak, led by sophomore forward Shante Evans, who shares Co-Player of the Week honors with Parker for the week of Nov. 29.

With each of the top four schools and a handful of others having a player on the All-CAA first or second team, anyone could climb to the top of the 12-team conference.  

“When we were predicted to finish first, it was flattering for 15 minutes,” Brooks said. “After that, it’s not worth the paper that it’s written on…If everyone stays healthy, I say Hofstra has a chance. You can count on Old Dominion being in there fighting. Past that, anyone has a chance. Anything could happen.”

-CH

Duke outperforms JMU, 75-58

For the ninth time in school history, a top-10 women's basketball team visited Harrisonburg to take on JMU.
Tuesday night, JMU fell to 75-58 to No. 5 Duke. JMU dropped to 3-3 with the loss and Duke advanced to 7-0.

JMU took the lead in the beginning of the game until Duke stole it at 14-13 in the 13th minute and never gave it up again. Following the lead change, Duke went on a 24-6 run.
JMU senior Lauren Jimenez scored a season-high 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field. She also recorded a double-double noting a team-leading 11 rebounds.
Madison's leading scorer was senior Dawn Evans, adding 20. Other contributors included sophomore Tarik Hislop (8), seniors Jalissa Taylor (4) and Courtney Hamner (3) and junior Lauren Whitehurst (4).
As a team, JMU shot 45.8 percent from the field in the first half, but fell drastically to 29 percent in the second.
Evans, the Colonial Athletic Association's second-leading scorer shot 8-for-22 from the field and 2-for-11 from behind the arc.
The Blue Devils had four scorers in double-digits, and the team recorded 20 assists in comparison to JMU's nine. Duke's scoring was led by freshman Chelsea Gray, with 15, and seniors Karmia Christmas and Krystal Thomas, adding 14 each.
JMU will continue play at Longwood University on Thursday.

-CH

Women's basketball to host the Duke University Blue Devils

Here is a good bit of information off Duke's website. If you ask me, I think the JMU ladies are going to lose. But stranger things have happened. Here's hoping it's not a blowout. 


Duke Readies for Trip to James Madison; Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 7:00 PM...
Entering the third leg of a four-game road swing, the fifth-ranked Duke women’s basketball team (6-0) will travel to Harrisonburg, Va., for a Tuesday, Nov. 30 contest at 7:00 p.m., at James Madison (3-2).  The game will be played at the JMU Convocation Center. Following Tuesday’s matchup against JMU, the Blue Devils will travel to Wisconsin to conclude the road swing on Dec. 2.  The four-game road swing marks only the second time Duke has featured road straight road games over the last 23 years.
The Blue Devils are currently ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press and No. 6 in the ESPN/USA Today Division I Coaches Polls.

Noting Duke...
Senior Jasmine Thomas has started 66 straight games ... senior Krystal Thomas played in her 100th consecutive game at Charlotte ... Duke holds a 228-84 advantage in points in the paint ... as a team, Duke has taken 11 charges with Shay Selby and Chelsea Gray leading with three each ... the Blue Devils return three starters -- Jasmine Thomas, Karima Christmas and Krystal Thomas off a squad that posted a 30-6 overall record a year ago and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight ... Duke has been ranked in the Associated Press for 209 straight weeks, which dates back to the 1999-2000 season ... the Blue Devils have been listed in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll for 257 consecutive weeks - dating back to the 1997-98 campaign.


A Look At James Madison...
James Madison enters the contest with a 3-2 overall record and is coming off a 76-69 overtime victory over Montana in the Caribbean Challenge in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico. The Dukes are coached by Kenny Brooks, who is in his ninth season with JMU. James Madison is led by All-America candidate Dawn Evans, who is averaging 26.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and leads the team with 21 assists.  Lauren Jimenez (9.0 points), Tarik Hislop (8.8 points) and Lauren Whitehurst (7.2 points) are also producing well for JMU.


Series With James Madison...
Duke and James Madison will meet for the seventh time in school history with the Blue Devils leading the overall series, 5-1.  In the series, JMU won the first game, 76-75, on Jan. 15, 1982, but Duke has won the last five in a row. Last year in Durham, the Blue Devils won 79-65


Duke Versus the CAA...
Duke holds an all-time record of 38-8 against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association -- Delaware (1-0), George Mason (3-0), Georgia State (1-1), Hofstra (2-0), James Madison (5-1), UNC Wilmington (7-2), Northeastern (2-0), Old Dominion (7-3), VCU (6-1) and William & Mary (4-0). The last loss to a CAA squad was on Dec. 7, 1996 against sixth-ranked Old Dominion, 89-77.  Duke has won 10 straight contests against the Colonial Athletic Conference, which is dating back to the 1999 East Regional Sweet 16 victory versus fifth-ranked Old Dominion.


Also, you can follow @breeze_sports for a live Twitter feed of updates and scores.


-CH

JMU Volleyball Season Over

The JMU volleyball team's improbable run came to an end Saturday night in a five set thriller to Northeastern University, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-19, 15-8 at the Colonial Athletic Association tournament in Newark, Del.

The Dukes ended one of the best seasons in their program's history at 22-8, and Northeastern season continues today in the CAA Finals against top seed, the University of Delaware.

The Dukes went down early in the first set, but were able to battle back and tie the score at 9-9. The Huskies went up 17-13 and looked in control of the set, but JMU won 11 of the next 13 points to get set point. A kill by senior Jessica Zeroual gave the Dukes an early 1-0 advantage in a tight match.

The second set saw Northeastern come out strong, taking a 5-2 advantage but like the first set, JMU clawed its way back. The Dukes tied the score at 17-17 but the Huskies went on an 8-4 run to close the set, getting four straight points on Nichole Kurz's serve.

The Dukes started to gain control of the match in the third set getting up to a 14-9 lead. Like the first two sets, the opposing team got back in it, this time with a 19-19 tie. Senior Lauren Fanelli's serve sparked a 6-0 run to close out the set and give JMU a 2-1 lead to lead the match.

JMU started out slow again in the fourth set, going down 16-10, but a 7-1 run tied the set up at 17-17. The Dukes ran out of gas in the fourth, losing 25-19, and giving the Huskies momentum it ultimately needed.

The Huskies silenced the Dukes opening the decisive fifth set up with an 8-2 lead. JMU never got any closer, losing the set 15-8 and capping off a great 2010 season.

Sophomore Danielle Erb led the Dukes with team-high 25 kills and senior Lindsay Callahan, playing her final game as a Duke, had 15 kills to go along with 16 digs.

-MO

Team looks to break 10-year title drought

The last time JMU volleyball won a Colonial Athletic Association championship was in 2000. That was former head coach Disa Garner's first season.

Ten years later, in head coach Lauren Steinbrecher's first season, the Dukes look to repeat the same pattern and earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

"It's surreal," sophomore Danielle Erb said. "To finish in eighth place last season and have the turn around this season and be in the position where we are is unbelievable."

JMU, who was picked to finish sixth in the conference at the beginning of the season, will head into this weekend's CAA tournament at the University of Delaware as the No. 2 seed and facing the No. 3-seeded Northeastern University Saturday at 5 p.m.

"We have had the opportunity to play Northeastern twice this year," Steinbrecher said. "They have a really nice right side setter combo player, Brittany Brown. She's a senior leader for them and she terminates great serves and is a great passer."

The Huskies are led by redshirt freshman middle hitter Nichole Kurz and freshman outside hitter Janelle Tucker. Tucker is top among CAA freshman with 307 kills, which is good enough for eighth overall.

This will be JMU's first CAA tournament since 2007, the first year for the Dukes' senior class. They lost in the semifinals that season to host No. 1 Delaware in four sets.

"It's really awesome," senior Lindsay Callahan said. "I feel like it's been way too long since we've been there and I'm really excited for the other girls to make it to the tournament."

Joining the Dukes and Huskies in the tournament are the Delaware Blue Hens and the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams. Delaware is the lone team in the conference that has a perfect 13-0 record at home.

"Delaware is a very strong team," Steinbrecher said. "They play very good defense and stay aggressive. We were right there with them when we played them but just didn't make key shots."

Led by senior outside hitter Mariel Frey and middle back Kelsie Chegg, VCU has had an interesting season, going 2-13 in non-conference games but flipping the script to go 9-5 in the CAA, gaining the fourth seed. VCU is making its fourth trip in the past five years.

"VCU is a very athletic team," Steinbrecher said. "They play as a team and had a good amount of talent. If we see them we will have to be ready to pursue the ball on every play."

If the Dukes can muster a third win against Northeastern, they will go into the championship game against a team they haven't defeated. The Dukes lost to Delaware on the road in three sets and VCU gave JMU its only home loss this season, losing in four sets.

"I think both times we played we weren't out of it completely," Callahan said. "It wasn't anything they were doing on their side. We would really love to play Delaware at home and take it to them on their home court."

All week the team has been focused, setting their sights on the title game and getting another shot at either Delaware or VCU.

Senior setter Lauren Fanelli, one of four JMU seniors, said getting redemption is what motivates this year's team.

"Our team wants it so bad it will just be a game of who wants it more, and I feel like it will be us," she said.

-MO

Women’s soccer falls 3-1 to University of North Carolina in NCAA second round

The Dukes certainly have nothing to be ashamed of as they ended their season losing to the defending national champions Sunday. 

Third-ranked UNC scored two goals in the second half to break the 1-1 halftime tie and defeat JMU 3-1 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Sunday afternoon.

The Tarheels (19-2-2) will advance to next Saturday's round of 16 to take on the University of Notre Dame at home, while the Dukes dropped to 15-7-1 with the defeat, ending their nine-game unbeaten streak.

The Dukes' lone goal came from freshman forward Lauren Wilson after UNC goalie Hannah Daly deflected sophomore forward Amalya Clayton's shot. Wilson scored from 35 yards out, making it her eighth goal on the season.

JMU defeated the University of Texas 3-1 on Friday night in the first round to advance to Sunday's game. Goals were scored by senior forward Cate Tisinger, sophomore midfielders Kelly Germain and Katie Menzie.

Sunday's loss was the final game for four seniors   - goalie Diane Wszalek, defender Corinna Strickland, Tisinger and midfielder Teresa Rynier (shown below in Friday's game) who became JMU's all-time assist leader this season with 53.

-CH

JMU women's basketball loses home opener to Hampton....what?

Color me shocked. My favorite team at JMU, the women's basketball team, fell to Hamption University Friday night 69-64 in their home opener. I went back as far as 2005 to see when the last time the Dukes lost a home opener was and I couldn't find it. Clearly, it's been a while. While the media tends to focus on senior point guard Dawn Evans, the real problem is at the center position. Senior Lauren Jimenez has a broken toe and fellow senior Jalissa Taylor has been forced to take over the position. Normally Taylor can be relied on for some defensive pressure, but it was her offense that was suffering. Going 1 for 9 at center is not going to win games. Evans put up 25, but was only 8 for 28. Overall the Dukes shot at about 29%, which is below their average. Matthew Stoss is the Daily News-Record beat writer and he put the loss into perspective.

Pirates Sink JMU Posted November 13, 2010 12:00 AM EST

By Matthew Stoss

HARRISONBURG - Well, at least they don't have to go to South Dakota. Hurt by inconsistent offense in the low post and big nights from Hampton's Quanneisha Perry and Jericka Jenkins, the James Madison women's basketball team lost its season opener to the Pirates 69-64 on Friday, assuring itself of no 1,300-mile trip to face South Dakota State in the second round of the preseason WNIT next week. "The difference was Hampton came out to play, and we didn't," said JMU senior point guard Dawn Evans, who scored 25 points, making six of 18 3-pointers and going 8-of-28 from the floor. "We just didn't do anything we practiced. We didn't execute. They played harder than us. We have to come out and we have to be a better team." JMU, the defending Colonial Athletic Association champion and preseason favorite, will learn its next WNIT opponent Sunday. The 16-team tournament guarantees a minimum of three games. On Friday, Madison - hampered by numerous nagging preseason injuries - shot just 26.9 percent from the floor (21-of-78), while its post players shot only 30.4 percent (7-of-23) in the absence of 6-foot-4 center Lauren Jimenez, who is out with a broken toe. The lack of production inside forced the Dukes to rely on perimeter offense. Hampton (1-0) shot 42.6 percent (26-of-61). "It's frustrating when you can draw things up and then you can get the ball where you want to get it," JMU coach Kenny Brooks said. "And then you miss some golden opportunities to capitalize on, and it kind of deflates you because then it's when you have your guards thinking, ‘OK, well, if I get there again, is it gonna end in a good result?' And then they start taking some ill-advised shots, and that's where we were tonight." For the first half of the second period, the Dukes also didn't have an answer for Perry and Jenkins, who led a rally after Hampton trailed by as many as 11 with 6:14 left in the first half. The two teams traded leads seven times in the second half before the Pirates finally took over for good on a layup by Jenkins with 10:01 left against JMU's zone defense. "We were ready for that," said Hampton coach David Six, Hampton High School's former coach who won the MEAC title last year in his first season. "We were very surprised that they went into a zone but happy at the same time because that's sort of our strength." Playing in front of 2,063 fans at the Convocation Center, JMU cut Hampton's lead to one with 1:29 and 0:59 to go, helped by a technical foul on Six at the 1:38 mark. Evans hit both ensuing free throws, seemingly giving the Dukes momentum. Perry led all scorers with 27 points, making 10 of 20 from the floor. Jenkins added 16 and five assists. When asked if he thought Madison overlooked the Pirates, Brooks said "absolutely not." "This is the type of team that gives us problems," Brooks said. "They spread the floor and they penetrate, and then they kick, and they do some things and they did it well." Sophomore guard Tarik Hislop added 14 points for JMU, while senior forward Jalissa Taylor had 15 rebounds and sophomore forward Nikki Newman had 11 to help the Dukes out-rebound Hampton 57-41 - 29-11 on the offensive glass. Unfortunately for Madison, few of those boards turned into points. HAMPTON Warner 2-8 4-4 9, Perry 10-20 7-9 27, Abercrumbia 2-4 0-0 4, Lewis 1-3 0-0 2, Jenkins 7-16 1-4 16, McMillian 3-7 0-0 9, Avant 0-0 0-0 0, Burnson 1-3 0-0 2, Henry 0-0 0-0 0, Goodman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-61 12-17 69. JAMES MADISON Whitehurst 3-8 1-2 7, Newman 1-4 0-1 3, Taylor 1-9 2-2 4, Hislop 4-13 4-8 14, Evans 8-28 3-3 25, Hamner 1-7 0-0 3, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Burkholder 0-0 0-0 0, Shepherd 1-2 1-2 3, Francisco 2-6 1-1 5. Totals 21-78, 12-19 64. Halftime-James Madison 32-28. 3-Point Goals-HU 5-16 (Warner 1-4, Lewis 0-1, Jenkins 1-4, McMillian 3-7), JMU 10-34 (Newman 1-3, Hislop 2-6, Evans  6-18, Hamner 1-6, Smith 0-1).  Fouled Out-none. Rebounds-HU 41 (Perry, McMillian 7), JMU 57 (Taylor 15). Assists-HU 10 (Jenkins 5), JMU 14 (Evans 6). Total Fouls-HU 15, JMU 16. A-2,063.

Dukes Make CAA Tourney as #2 Seed

Everything went right for the JMU women's volleyball team this past weekend. They took care of the own business, winning both games, and got help from everyone it needed. The Dukes were looking at getting a 3rd and 4th seed, but when VCU lost to William and Mary in five sets on Friday and Towson beat Georgia State in three sets, JMU was able to defeat the odds and grab the #2 seed. 

On Saturday, George Mason saw it's postseason chances end after Northeastern beat them on their home court. With that win, Northeastern became the #3 seed and will be JMU's next opponent. But before we get to that let's recap the weekend:

Friday night, the Dukes played their biggest match of the season against Northeastern. They probably played their best ball of the season, defeating them in four sets, but senior outside hitter Lindsay Callahan felt they could have finished that team off in three. 

"I think after losing the second set, there was nothing special they did," Callahan said. "It was us letting the lead go so just knowing that we can be the team that were going to be is a good feeling."

The Dukes won the contest by the score of 25-12, 23-25, 25-22, 25-1. Once the game was over, assistant coach Casey Steinbrecher went up to head coach Laura Steinbreacher and shouted the news that, "Towson beat Georgia State in 3!" That news was huge for the Dukes because a win on Saturday against 11th place Hofstra would put the Dukes in the tournament. 

Well, on Saturday they did their job and defeated Hofstra, again in four sets, 23-25, 25-16, 25-19 and 25-23. As stated earlier, the Dukes were able to get the #2 seed for next weekend’s tournament in Delaware and will face Northeastern, a familiar foe. 

JMU complete their regular season with a record of 22-7 and 10-4 in the conference. This is the highest Madison has been in the CAA Tournament since 2006.

If JMU can get by Northeastern on Saturday (which they should), they will face an opponent it hasn’t beaten this season in Delaware or VCU. I expect Delaware to win in four and face the Dukes in the CAA Championship game, with the winner going to the NCAA Tournament.

-MO

Dukes Needs a Big Weekend to Make Top Four

The Dukes haven't been to the CAA tournament since 2007 and it will need to do its job first in winning both games and then get some help for others to get back there again.

Four teams are tied at 8-4, George Mason, Georgia State, and Northeastern, and VCU has a half game lead on all them at 9-4. Delaware has already clinched the top spot at 11-0 in in conference Each team, except VCU, plays two conference games this weekend starting tomorrow night.

The easiest scenario for the Dukes to make the playoffs is to win both games, against Northeastern and Hofstra, and have a loss from George Mason, Georgia State, or VCU to advance. Georgia State plays top seed Delaware on the road Saturday night in what could determine JMU’s fate. 

I went to practice on Monday and it seemed as if the team was real calm and was focused about this weekends play. First-year coach Laura Steinbrecher seemed to think so as well.

“They’re extremely focused,” said Steinbrecher. “They key is not to get them too tight. They want it so bad.”

The Dukes could be going into their biggest weekend of the season without their biggest star. Senior Lindsay Callahan hurt her pinky Saturday in practice and has missed practice this week.

“She hurt her pinky Saturday during practice and is leaning towards not playing this weekend," said Steinbrecher.

This could be a huge blow to the Dukes. Callahan is their senior leader and someone will have big shoes to fill this weekend. When I spoke with Steinbrecher, I wasn’t convinced that Callahan would miss this game. She’s a senior and she will be honored this weekend at senior night. I just can’t see her missing her last two games as a Duke.

Maybe they are trying to get her healed in case they make the tournament, but in order to get there, you must win these two games, and they need Callahan for that. 

The Dukes play Northeastern Friday night and Hofstra Saturday night. I'm predicting the Dukes to win both games this weekend and get into the CAA Tournament as the 3rd seed. 

-MO

Women's Soccer Team Headed to the NCAA First Round

JMU will play Texas on Friday, Nov. 12, at Chapel Hill, N.C., in the first round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament.

JMU, playing in the NCAA tournament for the 10th time in the past 16 years, will take a 14-6-1 record and an eight-game (7-0-1) unbeaten streak into Friday's game.  The Dukes earned the Colonial Athletic Association champion's automatic berth with a 2-0 win at 18th-ranked Hofstra in Sunday's CAA championship match. Hofstra also received an at-large bid.

Texas received an at-large bid.  The Longhorns have an 11-5-4 record after losing 1-0 to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

If the Dukes win Friday, they will play Sunday in the second round. I will be attending Friday's game so check back for an update!


-CH