2010-11 CAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL REPORT

6/27/2011 7:34:00 PM

CAA WBB QUICK HITS:
*Complete Report in PDF format*

Six teams represented the CAA in the postseason. James Madison received the league's automatic bid to the NCAA and five other teams (Old Dominion, UNC Wilmington, VCU, Drexel and Delaware) were invited to participate in the WNIT.

The CAA completed the season with a RPI rating of 12 in the final report by Collegiate Basketball News with six in the Top 97. The league wrapped up the 2010-11 season with a non-conference record of 73-65.

The CAA had 30 games televised during the 2010-11 season, including the first-round ESPN2 broadcast of JMU in the NCAAs.

Wendy Larry steps down as head coach at Old Dominion, while former assistant Karen Barefoot is named new ODU Lady Monarch head coach.

Elena Delle Donne and Courtney Hurt received invites to the 2011 USA Basketball World University Games Team Trials. Delle Donne earns finalist spot.

SIX CAA TEAMS IN POSTSEASON PLAY: The CAA champion James Madison was selected as the 11th-seed in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, while Delaware, Drexel, UNC Wilmington, Old Dominion, and VCU were invited to the Women's National Invitation Tournament. For the sixth consecutive season, at least three CAA teams advanced to the postseason and for the 11th consecutive season the CAA had a representative in the WNIT, as the CAA was just one of three conferences to see five teams in the WNIT. The Southeastern and Atlantic 10 also saw five conference teams advance to the postseason event in 2011. The Dukes fell to sixth-seeded Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 86-72. The game was played in Charlottesville, Va, on Sunday, March 20 and was part of the Dayton Regional. Old Dominion, which earned the league's automatic bid to the WNIT for the second straight season, fell to Loyola-Maryland, 67-65, in the opening round of the tournament at the Ted Convocation Center. Delaware traveled to Toledo and suffered a 58-55 loss to the 2011 WNIT Champion in the opening round. VCU lost to St. Joseph's, 72-66, while Drexel loss a road game at Florida Gulf Coast, 73-67, in the first round. UNC Wilmington advanced to the second round with a win over Richmond, 63-54, before falling to Eastern Michigan, 63-54.

CAA FINISHED 2010-11 SEASON RANKED NO. 12 IN THE RPI: The RPI report compiled by Collegiate Basketball News ranked the CAA as 12th out of 32 conferences at the conclusion of the season. The CAA had six ranked in the top 97 led by James Madison, which finished ranked at 37 in the team ranking. Old Dominion (73), UNC Wilmington (83), Delaware (92), VCU (95), and Drexel (97) followed. It is the first time since 1992 that the league has seen more than four teams finish among the top 100.

THE SHOW PLACE ARENA - HOST OF THE 2011 & 2012 CAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md. was the host of the Virginia 529 College Savings Plan CAA Women's Basketball Championship and will continue to host the 2012 championship. The 2011 outing was the first time that The Show Place Arena had served as host of the CAA women's championship. The Show Place was the first neutral site since 1998 for the CAA women's championship and the team's played in front of 7,727 fans during the four-day event.

FOUR NAMED TO ASSOCIATED PRESS ALL-AMERICA HONORABLE MENTION: Four CAA players earned All-America accolades from the Associated Press following outstanding seasons. Delaware sophomore forward/guard Elena Delle Donne, Hofstra sophomore forward Shante Evans, James Madison senior guard and CAA Player of the Year Dawn Evans, and VCU junior forward Courtney Hurt received honorable mention on the All-America squad. Delle Donne and Dawn Evans received their second straight All-America honors from the AP. Dawn Evans was also on watch lists for the John R. Wooden Award, the WBCA Wade Trophy, the Lowe's Senior Class Award, the Naismith Award and the Nancy Lieberman Award, while Delle Donne was on the watch list for the WBCA Wade Trophy and Hurt joined Dawn Evans on the Naismith midseason list.

JMU'S EVANS RECEIVES V FOUNDATION COMEBACK AWARD: The V Foundation for Cancer Research, one of the nation's leading cancer research fundraising organizations, announced that James Madison University basketball senior guard Dawn Evans has been named the recipient of the 11th annual V Foundation Comeback Award. This award is given annually by The V Foundation for Cancer Research in collaboration with ESPN. The V Foundation Comeback Award is open to men and women collegiate basketball student-athletes in all NCAA divisions. It is awarded to an individual or a team who has accomplished a personal triumph in the face of true adversity, be it in health, life or moral dilemma. The award is presented in memory of Jim Valvano, the late basketball coach and ESPN commentator, whose personal battle with cancer inspired the creation of The V Foundation. Evans joins Drexel's Nicole Hester (2008) as a recipient of the honor.

DELLE DONNE, HURT ACCEPT INVITES TO 2011 USA WBB WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES TEAM TRIALS: Thirty-five of the nation's top collegiate players accepted invitations to attend the 2011 USA Basketball Women's World University Games Team Trials, which took place May 22-25 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo. Among the 35 invited were Delaware's Elena Delle Donne and VCU's Courtney Hurt. Fourteen finalist were named for the 2011 USA Basketball Women's World University Games Team, including Delle Donne. Twelve of the 14 finalists will look to defend the USA's 2009 gold medal at the 2011 World University Games women's basketball competition August 14-21 in Shenzhen, China.

REACHING MILESTONES: JMU's Dawn Evans became the league's all-time scorer on March 2 against UNC Wilmington. The senior completed her career with a league-best 2,667 career points. Evans passed former Drexel forward Gabriela Marginean (2,581). Hofstra's Shante Evans joined an elite group of student-athletes this year with 1,000 career points with her 16 against William & Mary on March 10. Shante Evans joins Drexel's Kamile Nacickaite, George Mason's Brittany Poindexter, Old Dominion's Tia Lewis, Delaware's Elena Delle Donne, VCU's Courtney Hurt, William & Mary's Taysha Pye, Drexel's Jasmina Rosseel and ODU's Jasmine Parker in reaching the same milestone this season. Delle Donne became the league's fastest player to reach the 1,000 career point plateau on Feb. 3 during her 38th career outing. She now joins an elite group of NCAA leaders and ties for the second fastest to reach that milestone.

STANDING OUT IN NATIONAL STATS: The CAA finished the 2010-11 season with two of the top three leading scorers in the nation with second-ranked Dawn Evans (23.1 ppg) from James Madison and third-ranked VCU's Courtney Hurt (23.2 ppg). Delaware's Elena Delle Donne would be the nation's leading scorer with 25.3 points per game, but due to her absence for 11 games due to illness, she did not play in 75% of her team's game to reach the requirement. Hurt completed the season as the nation's leader in rebounds per outing with 12.4, while Hofstra's Shante Evans follows in rebounding with 11.0 rpg (13th). Hurt also lead the nation with 25 double-doubles on the season and Shante Evans' 16 double-doubles ranked 16th. Old Dominion's Jasmine Parker's 3.2 steals per contest posted the ninth best average in the nation and UNC Wilmington's Brittany Blackwell followed with 3.1 per game (13th). Blackwell is also ranked 15th in field-goal percentage as she shot 55.2 percent from the floor. Drexel's Kamile Nacickaite ranked third in three-point field goal percentage shooting 47.8 percent. Dawn Evans ranked 11th in three-point field goals per game pouring in 3.0 treys per contest. (CAA Top 50 individual & team listing on page 13).

THREE CAA WBB TEAMS RANKED IN COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOP 25 MID-MAJOR FINAL POLL: The CAA has three teams ranked in the Top 25 of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll. James Madison finished ranked #6 in the Mid-Major Poll and a top the CAA schools. UNC Wilmington completed the season ranked #16, while Old Dominion followed at #18. VCU and Delaware were among those receiving votes with 11 and nine, respectively. Atop the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 was Green Bay, which received 20 first-place votes in the final poll. The 2010-11 women's Mid-Major Top 25 was comprised of teams from America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, CAA, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt and West Coast Conference.

DOUBLE THE TROUBLE: Two players in the CAA averaged a double-double for the season. VCU's Courtney Hurt led the nation with 25 double-double performances out of 31 outings and averaged a league best with 23.1 ppg and 12.4 rpg. Hofstra's Shante Evans followed closely with 18.4 ppg and 11.0 rpg and has 16 double-doubles on the season. Both players are expected to return in 2011-12.

CAA TV EXPOSURE: The CAA surpassed its all-time record and saw 30 women's basketball games air on television. All 12 teams will made at least one television appearance. The CAA women's basketball television package has aired over 20 games for at least the last four seasons.

HOME-SWEET-HOME: As a league, the teams went 109-62 (.637) overall record on their home courts. In conference play, just two of the 12 teams finished the conference season perfect at home -- JMU (9-0) and UNCW (9-0). James Madison finished with the league's best record at home with a 14-2 mark, while UNC Wilmington and Drexel finished the season with 12-2 marks on their home courts.

WENDY LARRY STEPS DOWN AS ODU LADY MONARCH BASKETBALL COACH: Long-time Old Dominion Head Coach Wendy Larry stepped down on May 17, 2011. Larry's career at Old Dominion spanned more than 30 years, as one of the first women student-athletes to receive a grant-in-aid to ODU, as a graduate and assistant coach, and as the head coach of the Lady Monarchs from 1987-2011. She became the 20th all-time coach to win 600 career games in December, and completes her tenure at ODU with a 608-234 overall record and 559-203 slate at ODU. Larry's teams reached 20 NCAA Tournaments, captured a NCAA record setting 17-straight Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Titles from 1992-2008, and advanced to the championship game of the NCAA tournament in 1997. Larry was the recipient of Coach of the Year awards from three different leagues, most recently in 2010 with her eighth CAA Coach of the Year selection. She has also been recognized on the national level as well with WBCA District III, RCA, Sporting News, and in 1997 as the United States Women's Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Coach of the Year.

KAREN BAREFOOT NAMED ODU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NEW HEAD COACH: Former Lady Monarch assistant coach Karen Barefoot, who last season led Elon to its first ever Division I postseason appearance, has been named Old Dominion's new head women's basketball coach on June 8, 2011. Barefoot becomes just the sixth head coach in Lady Monarch basketball history and first new hire since 1987. Barefoot, the school's first Native American head coaching hire, takes over a program that has reached postseason play in 19 of its last 20 years and has won 929 games, the third most all-time in women's basketball history. Barefoot, who hails from Newport News, Va., has a career head coaching record of 209-144, resulting in 11 winning seasons. Aside from Elon, Barefoot has also held the head coaching position at Division II Lenoir Rhyne College and at the Apprentice School. A three-time Kodak/WBCA All-American, she has been inducted into the CNU Athletic Hall of Fame and had her college jersey (No. 10) retired. In 2006 she was named to USA South's 25th Anniversary Team.

CAA POSTSEASON AWARDS:
2011 CAA PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Dawn Evans - James Madison

Evans is the fifth JMU player to earn CAA Player of the Year accolades. The senior guard rank third in the nation in scoring with 23.1 points per game. Evans became the CAA's all-time leading scorer on March 2 and completed her career with 2,667 points. She has also set a number of school records, including career field goals (851), career free throws (578) and career three-pointers (387). Evans has scored in double-figures in 116 career games, also a school record.

2011 CAA COACH OF THE YEAR:
Cynthia Cooper-Dyke - UNC Wilmington

Cooper-Dyke guided the Seahawks to a 24-9 overall record and a 14-4 conference mark in her first year at UNC Wilmington. The Seahawks were tied for second in the CAA regular-season race, representing the program's highest league finish since joining the conference in 1984-85. UNCW was picked to finish eighth in the CAA's preseason poll, but turned in one of the top turnarounds in the nation after going 12-19 overall and 6-12 in the CAA a year ago.

2011 CAA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:
Alisha Andrews - UNC Wilmington

Andrews started all 33 games as UNCW's point guard and turned in a sensational rookie year. The Seahawks' guard ranked second in the CAA with 5.0 assists per game and was third in the league with 3.0 steals per contest. Andrews also contributed offensively, scoring 10.8 points per game. Much of her offense came from the perimeter as she drained a team-high 71 three-pointers and shot 40.3% from beyond the arc.

2011 CAA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Jasmine Parker - Old Dominion

Parker led the CAA and ranked ninth in the nation with 3.2 steals per game this season. The senior guard grabbed the team's third-most defensive rebounds (96) en route to 119 total boards. She also topped the Lady Monarchs with 132 assists. Parker is just the third Old Dominion player to earn Defensive Player of the year honors.

2011 CAA DEAN EHLERS RECIPIENT:
Lindsey Molle - William & Mary

Moller was the recipient of the Dean Ehlers Leadership award, which is presented annually to the women's basketball student-athlete who "embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity, and sportsmanship in conjunction with her academic athletic achievement." Moller, a senior guard, started 10 games this season and was third on the Tribe with 45 assists. She also scored 30 points and made 24 steals.
*complete awards list on page 10

SIGN ON FOR DAWN: The NephCure Foundation's "Sign on for Dawn" (www.signonfordawn.org) fundraising campaign raised $6,506 toward its $10,000 goal. The NephCure Foundation is a non-profit foundation that funds research into finding effective treatments and provides support for patients suffering from the kidney diseases FSGS (Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis) and Nephrotic Syndrome. JMU's Dawn Evans has been suffering from FSGS since December 2009.

GIRL SCOUT APPRECIATION DAYS: For the 17th consecutive year, the CAA and the Girl Scouts of the USA teamed up for the "Be Your Best" partnership. Each CAA institution designated a women's basketball game this season as "Girl Scout Appreciation Day", with the goal of teaching girls the many benefits that can be gained from participating in sports. Girl Scouts are invited to attend the games and cheer for their favorite CAA team and participate in a variety of activities, including autograph sessions with players, sleep over events, instructional clinics with coaches and spirit contests. To receive the special admission, Girl Scouts must wear their uniforms (i.e., t-shirt or sweatshirt, pins) to the game.

PLAY FOR THE CURE - WBCA PINK ZONE DAYS: The CAA, all 12 women's basketball programs and Kroger teamed up to fight breast cancer. The CAA women's basketball programs committed to participate in a variety of different ways to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond during the week of February 11-20, however some schools are participating outside of that window due to the scheduling conflicts. A large number of schools committed to participate nationwide in the 2011 WBCA's Pink Zone initiative. The CAA, the women's basketball programs and Kroger are asking fans to attend one of the CAA's Pink Zone women's basketball games and donate to help fight breast cancer and increase early detection and prevention.

FIRST YEAR COACHING IN THE CAA: Two CAA schools welcomed new head coaches for the 2010-11 season. UNC Wilmington hired Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, who had previously served as head coach at Prairie View A&M. The former college great, Olympic gold medalist and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Most Valuable Player was enshrined into the James Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 13 in Springfield, Mass. Cooper-Dyke mastered a 24-9 record during her first season with the Seahawks. She was named CAA Coach of the Year by her peers and took the Seahawks into the second round of the WNIT. Georgia State hired Sharon Baldwin-Tener after she had spent the past eight seasons with the East Carolina Lady Pirates and previously was the head coach Mercer and Life. Baldwin-Tener completed her first season with the Panthers 12-19. GSU was the nine-seed in the CAA tournament and earned one victory while advancing to the quarterfinals.

2010-11 CAA PRESEASON TEAM PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: James Madison, which captured the 2010 CAA women's basketball championship, is favored to win the conference title again in 2010-11 according to a vote of the league's coaches. The results of the poll were announced during the CAA Basketball Media Day at Champps-Pentagon Row in Arlington, Va. The Dukes were followed in the voting by Old Dominion, Delaware, Hofstra and VCU. Drexel was picked to finish sixth, followed by William and Mary, UNC Wilmington, Georgia State, George Mason, Towson and Northeastern.

2010-11 CAA PRESEASON INDIVIDUAL HONORS: Delaware's Elena Delle Donne and JMU's Dawn Evans were chosen as the CAA Preseason Co-Players of the Year. They are joined on the preseason All-CAA first team by Hofstra's Evans, UNC Wilmington senior guard/forward Brittany Blackwell (12.9 ppg/7.7 rpg) and William and Mary junior guard Taysha Pye (16.4 ppg/5.2 rpg). Voted to the preseason All-CAA second team were Old Dominion's Green, Lewis and Parker, James Madison's Hislop and VCU junior forward Courtney Hurt (13.7 ppg/7.7 rpg).

CAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP RECAPS:
GAME 1: #8 GEORGE MASON vs. #9 GEORGIA STATE: Ninth-seeded Georgia State fended off a late rally by #8 George Mason and topped the Patriots, 68-64, in the opening game of the championship. Senior forward Angelique Burtts led three GSU players in double figures with 15 points, while also adding a game-high 13 rebounds and five assists. Senior guard Traci Haltiwanger finished with 14 points on 6-of-12 field goal shooting and sophomore guard Tiffany Anderson came off the bench to add 10 points on the afternoon. George Mason got a game-high 19 points from redshirt junior guard Taleia Moton, while senior guard Brittany Poindexter and sophomore guard Rahneeka Saunders joined her in double figures with 11 points apiece. Redshirt senior forward Angelee LaTouche hauled in a team-high 10 boards.

GAME 2: #5 HOFSTRA vs. #12 WILLIAM & MARY: Fifth-seeded Hofstra went on a 19-0 run to break open a close game midway through the second half and cruised to an 89-67 victory over #12 William & Mary in the second game of the championship. Junior guard Nicole Capurso paced the Pride with a season-high 22 points on 9-of-15 FG shooting. Forward Shante Evans recorded her 16th double-double with 16 points and a team-high 12 rebounds while also becoming the first sophomore in school history to go over the 1,000-point mark for her career (1,015). Freshman Anma Onyeuku chipped in 15 points and eight boards in 17 minutes off the bench and junior Candice Bellocchio added 11 points and five assists. W&M had five players tally double figures, led by sophomore forward Emily Correal with 15 points and a team-best 10 rebounds. Junior Taysha Pye contributed 15 points and four steals, while Taylor Hilton, Jaclyn McKenna and Katy Oblinger each scored 10.

GAME 3: #7 DELAWARE vs. #10 NORTHEASTERN: Seventh-seeded Delaware jumped out to a 20-point halftime advantage and held on for a 74-66 victory over 10th-seeded Northeastern in the first round of the championship Friday evening. Sophomore Elena Delle Donne had a difficult shooting night (6-for-19), but still paced Delaware with 18 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Jocelyn Bailey added 14 points and sophomore Danielle Parker had nine points and eight boards. Northeastern was led by freshman center Jewel Tunstull, who came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points on perfect 6-of-6 field goal shooting and an 8-of-10 effort at the line. Tunstull, whose previous scoring best was 11 points, scored 16 in the second half to lead the Huskies' comeback. Junior Dani Iervolino hit 4-of-6 from three-point range and added 14 points while junior Jamie Conroy contributed 10 points and five assists.

GAME 4: #6 DREXEL vs. #11 TOWSON: Senior Jasmina Rosseel's 22-foot jumper with 1:42 remaining lifted sixth-seeded Drexel to a hard-fought 52-46 victory over 11th-seeded Towson in the final first-round game championship Thursday night. Rosseel was one of three Drexel players who shared team-high scoring honors with 13 points. Junior Kamile Nacickaite tallied 13 points despite being limited to 21 minutes because of foul trouble and sophomore guard Hollie Mershon contributed 13 points and five assists. Towson got a game-high 14 points from junior Deree Fooks and freshman guard Tanisha McTiller added 12 points and six rebounds off the bench.

GAME 5: #1 JAMES MADISON vs. #9 GEORGIA STATE: Top-seeded James Madison had four players score in double figures and rolled to a 70-51 victory over #9 Georgia State. Three players finished with 14 points to lead Dukes, including center Lauren Jimenez, who also added 10 rebounds in the win. Senior guard Dawn Evans had 14 points and handed out five assists while guard Courtney Hamner scored many of her 14 points on 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range. Sophomore guard Tarik Hislop went 11-for-12 from the charity stripe en route to posting 13 points and sophomore Nikki Newman came off the bench to tally a career-high 15 rebounds on the afternoon. Senior forward Angelique Burtts and redshirt junior forward Chan Harris paced the Panthers with 15 points apiece, while sophomore forward/center Cody Paulk pulled down a team-high seven boards.

GAME 6: #4 VCU vs. #5 HOFSTRA: Fourth-seeded VCU used a 19-5 run late in the second half to pull away for an 87-76 win over fifth-seeded Hofstra. VCU was led by junior guard Andrea Barbour, who matched her career high with 28 points. Junior forward Courtney Hurt recorded her nation's-best 24th double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while senior guard Jessica Taylor hit 5-of-8 from three-point range and posted career highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Hofstra had five players, including three reserves, score in double figures. Sophomore forward Shante Evans topped the Pride with 17 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Jael Pena contributed a season-high 14 points off the bench. Junior Candice Bellocchio scored all 11 of her points from the free throw line, freshman reserve Anma Onyeuku chipped in 10 points and a team-best nine boards, and rookie Kate Loper also scored 10.

GAME 7: #7 DELAWARE vs. #2 OLD DOMINION: Sophomore Elena Delle Donne posted team highs of 31 points and 10 rebounds to lead seventh-seeded Delaware to a 72-55 upset of second-seeded Old Dominion in the third quarterfinal game. Delaware, which advanced to the semifinals of the CAA Tournament for the eighth time in the last 10 years, also got 11 points and five assists from junior Vanessa Kabongo and nine points apiece from sophomores Danielle Parker and Jaquetta May. Old Dominion, which failed to reach the CAA semifinals for the first time in 20 years as a league member, was led by senior guard Jasmine Parker with 16 points. Backcourt mate Kquanise Byrd added 14 points, senior Alena Voronina scored 11 and junior Tia Lewis had 10 points.

GAME 8: #3 UNC WILMINGTON vs. #6 DREXEL: Third-seeded UNC Wilmington closed the game on a 16-4 run and defeated sixth-seeded Drexel, 63-51, in the final quarterfinal contest. UNCW, which advanced to the CAA semifinals for the first time since 2002, got a career high-tying 21 points, four assists and four steals from freshman guard Alisha Andrews. Junior Kristen Hanzer added 13 points, backcourt mate Jessica Freeman scored 12 and senior center Martha White netted 10. Junior forward Kamile Nacickaite was the only Drexel player in double figures with a game-high 22 points. Freshman Fiona Flanagan chipped in eight points in 19 minutes off the bench.

GAME 9: #1 JAMES MADISON vs. #4 VCU: Senior guard Dawn Evans led four James Madison players in double-figures with 20 points as the top-seeded Dukes topped fourth-seeded VCU, 67-57, in the first semifinal contest. Defending CAA champion James Madison will be making its fifth title game appearance in the last six years and 14th overall. The Dukes, who have now knocked the Rams out of the CAA Tournament for the third straight year, have won 16 of their last 17 games. Joining Evans in double-figure points was Tarik Hislop (14), Courtney Hamner (13) and Lauren Jimenez (11). Jimenez finished the game with her ninth double-double of the season with a game-high 15 rebounds. Jalissa Taylor contributed 10 boards for the Dukes. VCU has now dropped seven straight against James Madison, including three losses to the Dukes this year. Junior guard Andrea Barbour led the Rams with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, while first team All-CAA selection Courtney Hurt posted her NCAA leading 25th double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

GAME 10: #3 UNC WILMINGTON vs. #7 DELAWARE: A strong inside game on the defensive end of the floor gave Delaware the boost it needed to win its third game in as many days at championship Saturday, upsetting third-seeded UNC Wilmington 62-47 in the tournament semifinals. The Blue Hens, seeded seventh coming into the weekend, advanced to their third CAA Championship game since 2003. First-team all-conference performer Elena Delle Donne showcased her talents for Delaware, once again tallying a double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds, and tied a career-high seven blocks and added a game-high four assists. She also extended her school-record streak of free throws made to 52 after going 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Also reaching double-figures for Delaware was junior Jocelyn Bailey, who was 4-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 from the line for 11 points. Sophomore center Sarah Acker had eight rebounds. For the Seahawks, Alisha Andrews led the way and showed why she was the CAA Rookie of the Year this season with 13 points, three assists, and two steals against no turnovers. Senior Martha White scored 10 points with eight rebounds, and classmate Brittany Blackwell was close behind with nine points and eight rebounds.

GAME 11: #1 JAMES MADISON vs. #7 DELAWARE: CAA Player of the Year Dawn Evans registered a game-high 24 points and dished out a season-high tying eight assists to lead top-seeded James Madison to a 67-61 win over seventh-seeded Delaware. The CAA title is James Madison's second straight and sixth overall, the second most in the history of the league, trailing only Old Dominion's 17 league crowns. The Dukes, who earn the conference's automatic bid into next week's NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, are now 26-7 on the year. Evans, the CAA's all-time leading scorer, was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the tournament after averaging 19.3 points and 5.3 assists in three games. Joining Evans on the all-tournament team were teammates Lauren Jimenez and Courtney Hamner, Elena Delle Donne and Danielle Parker of Delaware and Andrea Barbour from VCU. For the sixth straight game, four Dukes scored in double-figures as Hamner (15), sophomore guard Tarik Hislop (13) and Jimenez (12) joined Evans. Hamner hit a career-high five three-point field goals, including four in the first half. Delaware was led by Delle Donne's 23 points, 18 of which came in the second half. Parker ended the contest with 14 points and 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season.

TEAM NOTES:
DELAWARE (20-14, 10-8 CAA)
Delaware made an impressive run to the championship game against James Madison in the CAA Tournament, but fell 67-61. The Blue Hens were selected for the WNIT and played Toledo, the 2011 WNIT Champs, falling 58-55 in the first round. Sophomore Elena Delle Donne finished the season pouring in a team-best 25.3 points per game, while missing 12 games during the season due to Lymes Disease. Lauren Carra added 10.8 points per game, while Danielle Parker led the team pulling down 7.9 rebounds per contest. Delle Donne followed on the boards with 7.8 per game.

DREXEL (19-13, 10-8 CAA)
The Dragons wrapped up the 2010-11 season with a 19-13 overall mark. After falling to UNC Wilmington in the CAA Championship, 63-51, in the quarterfinals, Drexel received an invite to the WNIT postseason event. The Dragons fell to Florida Gulf Coast, 73-67, in the first round. Junior Kamile Nacickaite led Drexel on the year with 17.6 points per outing to go along with a team highs of 16 blocks, 38 steals and 6.3 rebounds per game. Jasmina Rosseel added 11.8 points per game with a team-best 84 assists.

GEORGE MASON (13-17, 7-11 CAA)
George Mason completed the season with a 13-17 overall record. Taleia Moton (12.2 ppg) and Brittany Poindexter (11.6 ppg) led the team in scoring, while Angelee LaTouche tabbed 6.7 rebounds per contest and added a team-high 19 blocks. Rahneeka Saunders led the Patriots in steals with 47 on the year, and Brittany Eley shot a perfect 21-for-21 from the line during conference play and led Mason in free throw shooting at 86.1 percent.

GEORGIA STATE (12-19, 6-12 CAA)
Georgia State, under the direction of new head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener, completed the season at 12-19 overall. The Panthers advanced to the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament and fell to 2011 Champion James Madison, 70-51. Georgia State was led by Angelique Burtts and Chan Harris in scoring with 13.0 and 12.3 points per game, respectively. Harris also led the team with 5.5 rebounds per outing. Freshman Kendra Long led the team with 57 made three-pointers and Cody Paulk made a team-best 56 blocks for the Panthers.

HOFSTRA (19-12, 10-8 CAA)
Hofstra completed its season with a 19-12 overall mark and fell to VCU in the quarterfinals of the CAA Championship, 87-76. Sophomore Shante Evans led the Pride in scoring (18.4 ppg/571 pts), rebounding (11.0 ppg), free throws made (143), field goals made (214), field goals attempted (404) and minutes played (30. 5). Freshman Kate Loper contributed 11.5 points per contest, while Nicole Capurso added 11.1 ppg. Loper led the team in three-point shooting with 75 made treys. Candice Bellocchio dished out a team-best 156 assists and Candace Bond snatched a team-high 75 steals.

JAMES MADISON (26-8, 16-2 CAA)
James Madison won its second straight CAA Championship title with a 67-61 victory over Delaware. The Dukes advanced to the NCAAs and fell to Oklahoma, 86-72, in the first round. Senior Dawn Evans, CAA Player of the Year, led the team pouring in 23.1 points per contest and finished ranked third in the nation. Evans also led the Dukes shooting 83.7 percent from the free throw line, recording 98 made three-pointers, dishing out 147 assists and grabbing 56 thefts. Senior Lauren Jimenez added 14.4 points per game and led the team on the boards with 8.5 rebounds per contest. She led the team with 36 blocks on the year. Tarik Hislop also added double-digit points with 10.8 per outing.

UNC WILMINGTON (24-9, 14-4 CAA)
Under the direction of new head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, the Seahawks posted a program-high 24 victories and made their first postseason appearance with an at-large invitation to the WNIT. Cooper-Dyke was named CAA Coach of the Year for her efforts. UNC Wilmington advanced to the second round of the WNIT with a 63-54 victory over Richmond, before falling to Eastern Michigan, 63-54. Brittany Blackwell led the team with 15.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest. She was joined by three other Seahawks pouring in double-digit points on the year, including Martha White (12.8), Kristen Hanzer (11.6) and CAA Rookie of the Year Alisha Andrews (10.8). Andrews led the team with 166 assists, second in the league with 5.0 per contest.

NORTHEASTERN (8-22, 3-15 CAA)
Northeastern wrapped up the 2010-11 season with an 8-22 overall record. The Huskies were led by Deanna Kerkhof (11.0 ppg), Kashaia Cannon (10.7 ppg) and Jamie Conroy (10.0 ppg) in the scoring category. NU struggled on rebounding as Christine Huber was the team leader with 5.5 per contest. Conroy led the team in assists dishing out 129 on the year to go along with a team-best 65 thefts, while Huber added 33 blocks for a NU season high.

OLD DOMINION (20-11, 14-4 CAA)
Old Dominion finished fourth in the conference standings and suffered a 72-55 loss to Delaware in the CAA Quarterfinals. Despite the early loss in the CAA tournament, the Lady Monarchs received an invite to the WNIT and fell to Loyola (Md.), 67-65. Junior Tia Lewis led ODU with 12.1 points per game to go along with a team-best 7.8 rebounds per outing. Seniors Jasmine Parker and Alena Voronina poured in 11.8 and 11.3 points per game for the Lady Monarchs. Parker led the team with 132 assists and 98 steals, while Lewis recorded 33 blocks for ODU. Wendy Larry resigned as head coach and former ODU assistant Karen Barefoot was named head coach early summer.

TOWSON (9-21, 3-15 CAA)
The Tigers of Towson completed the season with an overall record of 9-21. The Tigers were led by Krystal Parnell's 10.5 points per game and Dovile Miliauskaite's 7.6 rebounds per outing. Sheree Ledbetter added 8.7 ppg and 5.9 rpg, while Deree Fooks recorded 8.1 ppg. Parnell dished out a team-best 134 assists, while Miliauskaite (47) and Parnell (46) led the team in steals. Miliauskaite was the only Tiger with double-digit blocks at 30, with 27 of them coming in conference play.

VCU (19-12, 13-5 CAA)
The Rams advanced to the postseason for the fourth straight season as they received an invite to the WNIT. VCU faced Saint Joseph's for the second straight year and fell, 72-66. The Rams were led by junior Courtney Hurt who led the league in both scoring (23.2) and rebounding (12.4). She ranked 2nd in the nation in scoring and first for rebounding. The junior standout also led the nation with 25 double-doubles last season. Andrea Barbour helped the Rams to a 19-12 overall mark when she joined the team for the second half of the year and poured in 16.3 points per game. Jennifer Lane dished out a team-best 142 assists, while Hurt led with 51 steals and 22 blocks.

WILLIAM & MARY (3-26, 2-16 CAA)
William & Mary completed the season with a 3-26 overall record. The Tribe was led by Taysha Pye and Emily Correal with 16.7 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Correal also led the team with 5.2 rebounds per contest and 26 blocks, while Katherine DeHenzel dished out a team-best 106 assists. Kaitlyn Mathieu assisted on the boards with 5.0 per game and added 9.3 points per contest.