JMU Falls to Villanova in Overtime
Kelly McCarthy
HARRISONBURG, Va. (March 23, 2017) – James Madison battled Big East foe Villanova into overtime, but fell to the Wildcats, 69-67, in the third round of the WNIT in the Convocation Center. The Dukes end their season at 26-9 overall.
Redshirt senior
Precious Hall led all scorers with 36 points and was the only Duke in double figures. The two-time CAA Player of the Year ends her career with 2,347 points, good for all-time in league history.
Villanova (19-14) won the opening tip and took control early, jumping out to an 11-6 lead. James Madison pulled within 11-10 on a lay-up by Hall with six minutes remaining in the opening stanza. Shooting woes plagued JMU for much of the second quarter and Villanova took advantage and had a 36-25 advantage heading into the break.
The Dukes opened the second half on a 11-2 to run whipping the Convocation Center crowd into a frenzy as JMU pulled within 38-36. Jannah Tucker stopped the run with a pair of free throws for Villanova at 4:01 in the third quarter. That sparked a quick a 6-2 run for the Wildcats which pushed the lead to 44-38. The Dukes countered with back-to-back buckets from Hall and
Savannah Felgemacher to make it a one-possession game at the end of the third quarter.
JMU continued to chip away as
Lexie Barrier gave the Dukes their first lead of the night, 47-46, with a three-pointer with 5:22 remaining. The Dukes were able to push their lead to 56-52 with just over a minute to play. Villanova countered, going up 59-56 in the closes seconds. Hall would not be denied, nailing a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
In OT, the Wildcats scored the first four points for a 63-59 advantage. Hall answered with a three-pointer but Tucker answered right back with a three-pointer of her own. Hall pulled the Dukes within 66-64 with 31 seconds remaining but Villanova was clutch at the free throw line to preserve the win.