Elon advanced to the #CAAChamps title game for the second year.
Defending Champ Elon Ousts JMU in Semifinals
Kelly McCarthy
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PHILADELPHIA (March 9, 2018) – The defending champs are heading back to the finals looking for a chance to repeat. Third-seeded Elon topped second-seeded James Madison, 76-53, in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Women’s Basketball Championship semifinals at the Daskalakis Athletic Center (DAC).
The stage is set for the CAA Championship final, which will be held on Saturday, March 10 at 1:00 p.m. at the DAC where Elon (24-7), winners of 12-straight, will face top-seeded Drexel (26-6). The game will be televised regionally on NBC Sports Washington-Plus, NBC Sports Philadelphia and SNY. The game will also be streamed exclusively on
CollegeSportsLive.com.
In a rematch of the 2017 CAA Championship final, the result was the same as the Phoenix pulled out the win behind strong shooting and tight defense. Elon shot 52.7 percent (29-55) from the field and got it done beyond the arc.. Senior
Meme Garner went 5-for-6 from three-point range and finished with 15 points while
Lexi Mercer had 12 points, including three three-pointers. Senior
Malaya Johnson posted 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
James Madison (21-10) was held to 30.4 percent shooting on the night.
Kelly Koshuta led the scoring effort with 19 points while
Kamiah Smalls added 13 points and extended her double-digit scoring streak to 15 games.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Elon had a strong shooting effort in the first half, connecting 55.6 percent from the field and going 7-for-12 from three-point land. The Phoenix held the Dukes to 30.8 percent shooting and forced them into seven turnovers. The Phoenix got off to a hot start, jumping out to a 14-5 lead. James Madison responded with a 9-3 run spanning the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second which pulled them within 17-14. But back-to-back-to-back trifectas, including two from Mercer, opened up a 26-14 Elon advantage. Elon’s lead grew to 12 points, 33-21, on a basket by Johnson with just over four minutes left in the half. CAA Defensive Player of the Year
Jada Graves flashed her offense, draining a three-pointer from the corner as time expired to send Elon into the break with a 42-25 lead.
The Dukes opened the second half on a 7-2 run, which included six points from Koshuta, as they moved within 44-32. James Madison then went cold from the floor for nearly three minutes as the Phoenix continued to build upon their lead, pushing out to a 50-32 advantage after a Garner three-pointer. With 1:35 remaining in the period, Garner silenced a 6-2 JMU run with a three-pointer to make the score 55-38.
Elon continued to turn its defense into offense in the fourth quarter. Three of its six defensive stops resulted in easy lay-ups for Johnson who pushed the Phoenix lead to 61-40 with just under eight minutes remaining. The Dukes scored their first points of the fourth quarter at the 7:29 mark on a pair of free throws by Smalls.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
This the first time since 2013 that James Madison will not appear in the CAA Championship final.
Elon is making its second straight trip to the CAA Championship final.
The Phoenix have won their last five CAA tournament games, dating back to last year.
Elon Head Coach Charlotte Smith is 6-2 all-time in CAA Championship action. She is now tied for ninth all-time in league history for tournament wins.
Elon’s Shay Burnett dished out 10 assists, bringing her career total to 556 assists. She is only one of six players in CAA history with 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 500 assists.