JMU Edges Elon, Heads Back to Finals
Tim McDonnell
Boxscore |
Championship Central
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (March 14, 2015) – Lauren Okafor notched a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds as top-seeded James Madison outlasted fourth-seeded Elon, 63-60, down the stretch in the first semifinal of the 2015 CAA Women's Basketball Championship at the Show Place Arena.
Junior Angela Mickens chipped in an efficient 10 points and dished out seven assists for the Dukes (28-3), who now own a 16-12 record all-time in the CAA Championship semifinals. Okafor added five blocks and Precious Hall scored 14 of her 19 points in the second half to lead all players.
Toia Giggetts split a pair of free throws with 27 seconds left to give JMU a three-point lead and Elon twice had chances to tie the game, though senior Sam Coffer’s three-point attempts both hit the back of the rim.
The Dukes went to the free throw line at the other end of the court in the closing seconds, but didn’t convert on four tries. On both sequences, however, Madison was able to corral the rebound of each miss and wind down the game clock.
JMU advances to the CAA title game on Sunday for the second straight season and will face either third-seeded Hofstra or seventh-seeded Delaware at 1:00 p.m. with a chance to obtain the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The game will be carried live on Comcast SportsNet.
Elon concludes its season with a 19-12 record, which is the best mark the Phoenix have had under fourth-year coach Charlotte Smith. Freshman Shay Burnett paced the Phoenix with 18 points and three steals. Sophomore Jenifer Rhodes provided 13 points, four rebounds and two blocks in defeat.
James Madison won both contests against Elon during the regular season by double-digits, but Saturday’s contests played out much differently. There were four ties and five lead changes, while the largest lead for either team was six points.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with Elon holding onto a slight edge for the majority of the action.
Burnett had 10 points and Rhodes added eight in the first 20 minutes of play, but the biggest difference was the Phoenix’s ability to convert 10 JMU turnovers into 12 points, compared to the Dukes’ four points off just five Elon giveaways.