JMU Battles No. 4 Baylor, Falls 77-63 in Florida Sunshine Classic

Monday, December 21

Warden Arena, Winter Park, Fla.

5 p.m.

James Madison University

6-3

Baylor

13-0

James Madison

Baylor

JMU Battles No. 4 Baylor, Falls 77-63 in Florida Sunshine Classic

12/21/2015 7:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

WINTER PARK, Fla. – James Madison women's basketball dropped a hard-fought contest to No. 4 Baylor, falling 77-63 to the Bears in the Dukes' final game of the Florida Sunshine Classic.

The Dukes (6-4) opened the game on a 9-0 run, holding the fourth-ranked Bears (13-0) scoreless for the first 3:33 of play. Baylor then used an 18-4 run to take the lead for good, though JMU kept the game within a few possessions for the duration. The game is the fourth-closest for the Bears' this season.

Senior guard Ashley Perez led all scorers with 22 points. This included a 7-for-8 showing at the line, which extended her free-throw streak to 16 consecutive makes before a miss on her eighth attempt. Senior point guard Angela Mickens and redshirt senior guard Jazmon Gwathmey joined her in double figures with 19 and 14 points, respectively.

JMU shot a combined 35.5 percent from the floor, including a first-quarter mark of 50.0 percent. BU shot 42.3 percent from the floor and posted a 50.0-percent mark during the second stanza. The Bears featured four players in double figures, with Nina Davis leading the way with 19.

The Dukes will wrap up the non-conference slate on Wednesday, Dec. 30, against Davidson. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at the JMU Convocation Center.

QUOTING HEAD COACH KENNY BROOKS

"Very proud, very happy to see where we are right now. If we keep playing w/this heart we're going to be a very good basketball team." KB
— Curt Dudley (@CurtDudley) December 22, 2015

JMU GAME LEADERS

Senior guard Ashley Perez led all scorers with 22 points.
Freshman Kayla Cooper-Williams snagged a team-high seven rebounds.
Cooper-Williams tied for the game high with two blocks.
Senior point guard Angela Mickens had a team-high eight assists.

TWEET OF THE DAY

JMU off to a 7-0 start against No.4 Baylor, Bears call a timeout! #GoDukes #R3IGN pic.twitter.com/vDK1uDKw4Z
— JMU Dukes WBB (@JMUWBasketball) December 21, 2015

NUMBERS OF NOTE

JMU outscored Baylor 9-6 in fast break points.
The 14-point margin of victory for BU is well below its average of +38.5. The Bears played only three games to a closer margin through their first 13 games.
Senior point guard Angela Mickens now has 522 career assists. She is just 11 dishes away from the top five all-time at JMU (5^th: 533, Donna Budd).
This was the first meeting between JMU and Baylor in program history.

ALL-TOURNAMENT
Senior guard Ashley Perez earned a spot on the Florida Sunshine Classic All-Tournament Team.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will take a nine-day break from competition for the holidays. They return to the JMU Convocation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 30, to face Davidson in their final non-conference game of the regular season. Prior to tip, redshirt senior guard Jazmon Gwathmey will be honored for joining the 1,000-point club and senior point guard Angela Mickens will be honored for joining the 500-assist club.