Dukes Handle Blue Hens for 65-43 Victory

Wednesday, March 2

Newark, Del.

8 p.m.

James Madison University

16-123-5 | CAA

Delaware

10-815-14 | CAA

James Madison

Delaware

3/2/2016 11:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

NEWARK, Del. – James Madison women's basketball stretched its win streak to 16 consecutive games as the Dukes handled Delaware 65-43 at the Bob Carpenter Center on Wednesday night.

JMU (23-5, 16-1 CAA) had three in double-figure scoring, led by senior Destiny Jones' 11 points. Senior guard Ashley Perez had 10 points and was matched by freshman center Kayla Cooper-Williams' 10 points.

Cooper-Williams posted her third collegiate double-double, adding in 10 rebounds as one of three Dukes to hit the double-digit rebounding mark. Junior forward Da'Lishia Griffin and redshirt senior guard Jazmon Gwathmey each pulled down 10 boards to mark the first game this season with three Dukes grabbing double-figure rebounds.

Adding to the Dukes' 60-33 advantage on the boards, sophomore guard Hailee Barron pulled down a career-high eight rebounds. As a team, the Dukes converted a 27-8 edge in offensive rebounds to a 21-8 lead in second-chance points.

JMU shot 34.3 percent (24-70) while limiting Delaware to 25.5 percent (13-51) shooting for the contest. The Dukes held the Blue Hens without a 3-pointer (0-for-8), their first time holding an opponent without a 3-pointer since Feb. 20, 2014, when they kept Delaware to a 0-for-6 showing.

The Dukes tallied assists on half of their made baskets Wednesday night, led by nine from senior point guard Angela Mickens. On the defensive end, JMU had five team blocks, getting one from Griffin, a career-high two from freshman guard Aneah Young and two from Cooper-Williams, giving her sole possession of the second-best single-season blocks mark in JMU history (59).

Delaware led just once in the contest, scoring the opening points off free throws by Makeda Nicholas. The Dukes used a 10-2 swing to pull ahead by four (10-4) with 6:54 left in the first quarter.

With JMU ahead 14-10 at the first media timeout, the Dukes used a 7-0 run to take their first double-digit lead of the game, capped by a no-look pass from Mickens to Gwathmey for the transition 3-pointer that forced Delaware to burn a timeout with just over two minutes left in the first quarter.

The Blue Hens cut it back to single-digits (21-12) with a lay-up 10 seconds into the second frame, but never got any closer as the Dukes quickly pushed back to a double-digit advantage off a Mickens jumper and led by as many as 16 points in the second quarter.

JMU held UD without a field goal over the final 6:10 of the first half, but six converted trips to the line kept the Blue Hens scoring alive. Delaware's field-goal drought continued until the 6:07 mark of the third frame when Sade Chatman scored on a layup.

The Dukes turned the ball over just three times over the first 20 minutes while forcing the Blue Hens into nine giveaways, converting for a 13-0 edge in points off turnovers.

With the rest of the league finished with regular-season action, JMU has one final game on the road. The Dukes head to College of Charleston on Saturday, March 5 for a make-up game against the Cougars after their first trip was postponed due to Winter Storm Jonas. Tip-time is set for noon in Charleston, S.C.

DUKES VS. BLUE HENS
JMU has won seven straight contests against Delaware. JMU and UD are now at an even 7-7 mark in games played in Newark.

TWEET OF THE DAY

Can we talk about the pass from "Muff" Mickens? ???? https://t.co/bo8C1pTmIG
— JMUSports (@JMUSports) March 3, 2016

WINNING STREAK
JMU has won 16 straight games, which is tied with Army for the seventh-longest streak in the nation. It also matches the longest winning streak in the Kenny Brooks era (16 games - Dec. 29, 2006 to Feb. 18, 2007). It is the fifth winning streak of 10 games or longer under Coach Brooks, with the Dukes' last streak of double-digit wins coming a season ago (14) in CAA play.

SEASON & CAREER CHARTS

Senior guard Angela Mickens had nine assists, pushing her season total to 191 and career total to 633. She sits in fourth in single-season assists, just behind Jess Cichowicz (3^rd, 194), and second in career assists, also behind Cichowicz (1^st, 670).
Freshman center Kayla Cooper-Williams had two blocks to push her season total to 59. She is second in single-season blocks, behind Lauren Whitehurst's 66 blocks in 2011-12.
Redshirt senior guard Jazmon Gwathmey moved into a tied for fifth in all-time career games played with Courtney Hamner at 130.
Gwathmey tallied five points, giving her 584 points this season (ninth) and 1,457 for her career (12^th). Eighth in single-season scoring is held by Tarik Hislop (589) and 11^th in career scoring is held by Sue Manelski (1,465).

CAREER HIGHS

Sophomore guard Hailee Barron had a career-high eight rebounds.
Freshman guard Aneah Young had a career-high two blocks.
Senior forward Destiny Jones sank a career-high five free throws.

CAA LANDSCAPE
With the exception of seventh and eighth place, the CAA tournament seeding is set. JMU is the top seed while Drexel is No. 2 (13-5), Hofstra is No. 3 (13-5), Elon is No. 4 (11-7), Delaware is No. 5 (10-7), and Northeastern is No. 6 (9-9). UNCW (3-15) is the No. 9 seed and Towson is the No. 10 seed. Positioning for William & Mary (6-12) and College of Charleston (5-12) will be decided after Saturday's make-up contest between the Dukes and Cougars.
JMU will play face the winner of the #8/9 game in the CAA quarterfinals. The Dukes will face either UNCW, William & Mary or College of Charleston next Thursday, March 10, at noon.

UP NEXT
JMU heads south to wrap-up the regular season at College of Charleston. The Dukes and Cougars tip-off at noon on Saturday, March 5.