Dukes Claim CAA Regular-Season Crown with 77-41 Win at UNCW

Friday, February 26

Wilmington, N.C.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

21-5 (14-1CAA)

UNCW

7-20 (3-13CAA)

James Madison

UNCW

Dukes Claim CAA Regular-Season Crown with 77-41 Win at UNCW

2/26/2016 9:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

WILMINGTON, N.C. – James Madison women's basketball clinched its third consecutive Colonial Athletic Association regular-season championship after dispatching UNCW 77-41 on Friday night at Trask Coliseum.

The Dukes improved to 21-5 on the season and 14-1 in CAA play while the Seahawks dropped to 7-20 and 3-13. Combined with Drexel's loss at Hofstra, the Dukes wrapped up the No. 1 seed for the upcoming CAA Women's Basketball Championship, which takes place March 9-12 in Upper Marlboro, Md.

Redshirt senior guard Jazmon Gwathmey led all scorers with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting, while also contributing five rebounds and a game-best five assists. Senior forward Destiny Jones recorded her first-ever double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, both career highs. Senior guard Angela Mickens and sophomore guard Hailee Barron also contributed to the Dukes' double-figure scoring with 14 and 12 points, respectively.

The Dukes limited the Hawks to just 28.3 percent shooting (13-46), including 14.3 percent (3-21) in the second half. They nearly doubled the hosts in the rebounding war, 55-28, and outrebounded UNCW on the offensive glass by a remarkable 25-6 margin, scoring 16 second-chance points to the Seahawks' four.

UNCW led 14-10 early in the ballgame, but Gwathmey, who scored all but three of JMU's first quarter points, hit a pair of free throws and drained a long 3-pointer over the final 27 seconds to give the Dukes a 15-14 lead after one frame. The Seahawks gained the lead back at 21-20, but JMU's offense took over during the final 5:43, outscoring UNCW 15-4 to take a 35-25 advantage into the locker room.

JMU defense clamped down in the second half, conceding just one field goal in the third quarter and outscoring UNCW 22-9 to grab a 57-34 heading to the final stanza. The Dukes held UNCW without a made shot for over 12 minutes in the second half as UNCW only converted a pair of field goals in the fourth while JMU stretched the lead past 35 in the final minute.

The Dukes return to the Convo for their final home game of the season on Sunday, Feb. 28. They will host the final Duke Dog Reading Day of the season, and fans are encouraged to arrive early as JMU also honors its Class of 2016 prior to tipoff (approximately 1:45 p.m.).

TRIPLE TITLES
JMU earned its third consecutive regular-season championship on Friday night by virtue of its win at UNCW and Drexel's loss to Hofstra. With three games remaining in the regular season, JMU leads both Drexel and Hofstra by 3.5 games.

JAZ CONTINUES TO RISE
Jazmon Gwathmey had a stellar shooting night, pouring in a game-high 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting. She has now scored 553 points this season, which ranks ninth on JMU's single-season scoring list. She is also 12th on JMU's career scoring list with 1,426 points. Her 25-point performance also marked her 17th straight game in double figures, a mark which is tied for the 14th longest stretch.

DESTINY'S BIG DAY
Destiny Jones entered Friday's contest averaging just 2.6 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game this season, but she turned in her best game on record, scoring 14 points and adding 11 rebounds, both career highs, in just 19 minutes for her first collegiate double-double.

TWEET OF THE DAY

With the win tonight, @JMUWBasketball clinches the No. 1 seed and the #CAAHoops Regular Season Championship pic.twitter.com/Fb6sx98uZ9
— CAA Basketball (@CAABasketball) February 27, 2016

CHART MOVEMENT

Redshirt senior guard Jazmon Gwathmey is tied for 12^th on the career field goals chart (529) with Lesley Dickinson and is 14^th career free throws (276).
Gwathmey is tied for seventh in both career games played (128) and career starts (113).
Senior point guard Angela Mickens now has 180 career steals, which ranks 10^th all-time in JMU history.
Freshman center Kayla Cooper-Williams moved into a tie with Gwathmey (13-14) for the third-highest single-season blocks total in program history (56).

STREAKS-A-PLENTY

Redshirt senior Jazmon Gwathmey has scored in double figures 17 straight games, which is tied for the 14^th longest streak in JMU history with Precious Hall, Dawn Evans and Shanna Price.
JMU has won 14 straight games.
The Dukes have won the CAA regular-season title and been the No. 1 seed at the league tournament for three straight years.

UP NEXT
JMU will celebrate Senior Day on Sunday, Feb. 28 with a 2 p.m. tipoff at home against Elon. It will be the team's second and final Duke Dog Reading Day, so fans are encouraged to arrive early as doors open at 12:30 p.m.