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 2,000th 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
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.
