Hall, Dukes Rally Past Virginia in WNIT Second Round

Sunday, March 19

Harrisonburg, Va.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

26-8, 15-3CAA

Virginia

20-13, 7-9ACC

Virginia

JMU

3/19/2017 4:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score @JMUWBasketball Box Score 2016-17 Schedule Photo Gallery Players Postgame O'Regan Postgame Highlights

HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison women's basketball used a 10-0 run across the final 1:33 to rally for a 61-55 win over in-state rival Virginia in the second round of the Women's NIT on Sunday afternoon at the JMU Convocation Center.

The Dukes (26-8) trailed 55-51 before redshirt senior guard Precious Hall knocked down a pair of free throws with 93 seconds to play, then drilled a straightaway three-pointer to take a 56-55 lead with 54 seconds on the clock. She took a charge on the ensuing Cavalier (20-13) possession to prevent UVa from scoring.

Precious Hall drains a 3ptr to give JMU the 56-55 lead then takes a charge to give JMU the ball back! 32 sec to play!
— JMU Dukes WBB (@JMUWBasketball) March 19, 2017

JMU forced misses on each of Virginia's (20-13) final three shots, hitting seven of its 10 free throws over the final minute and a half to close out the contest.

Hall led the way throughout for the Dukes, racking up a game-high 28 points, four boards and a pair of steals in 36 minutes. The senior tallied 18 of her points after halftime, including a perfect 8-of-8 performance from the free throw line in the second half.

With the win, the Dukes advance to the third round of the WNIT, where they will play host to Villanova on Thursday, March 23 at 7 p.m.

Great to see @dabody52 supporting his Dukes! pic.twitter.com/T7Z5WIbxnW
— JMUSports (@JMUSports) March 19, 2017

HALL'S MARK
Precious Hall scored in double figures for the 34^th straight game at 28 points, including the first seven JMU points of the game and a 7-0 run in the fourth quarter to give JMU the lead for good. She is the first Duke to ever reach the 800-point mark for the season (805) and pushed her career total to 2,311 points. This marked her 26^th career game at 25 points or more and 112^th career double-figure scoring performance in 138 games played.
Hall moved into first place in the single-season made field-goals category at 264, surpassing Tamera Young's mark of 259 from 2007-08.

PORTER'S PROWESS
Amber Porter had all four of JMU's blocks on Sunday, pushing her season total to 54 to tie Hollee Franklin (2000-01) for the fifth-highest single-season mark in JMU history. She has 262 for her career between JMU and Stetson.

PHOTO OF THE GAME - view full photo gallery

JMU's bench reacts to a made 3-pointer in the second-round win vs. Virginia

FOURTH-QUARTER GLASS
Heading into the fourth quarter, JMU was trailing 27-25 to Virginia in rebounds. The Dukes turned up the defensive effort in the final frame, outrebounding the Cavaliers 13-5 over the final 10 minutes. The stretch included four rebounds from Tasia Butler.

FIRST-HALF SEE-SAW
After JMU led by four, Virginia closed the first quarter on a 7-0 run and the Cavaliers took a 17-14 lead into the second frame as JMU went scoreless the final 4:09. Hailee Barron opened the second quarter with a made 3-pointer, but UVa stretched it to an 11-3 run and a 21-17 lead as JMU went 0-for-9 from the floor. The stretch was snapped by a steal and lay-in from Aneah Young.
The Dukes went 4-for-4 to take a 28-26 lead in the final minute and an Amber Porter block on the ensuing UVa possession set Kamiah Smalls up for a blocking foul, sinking two FTs just before the half and sending the Dukes into the locker room up by four (30-26).

O'REGAN PRESS CONFERENCE

RECORD AGAINST VIRGINIA
The Dukes have won four straight against the Cavaliers inside the JMU Convocation Center. This is the second time JMU has defeated UVa in the WNIT (W, 68-59 in 2012 WNIT Fourth Round).

WNIT NOTES
This is the Dukes' fifth appearance in the third round of the WNIT across seven total appearances in the tournament. They are 16-6 all-time in the WNIT and 14-1 at home in the tournament.

PLAYERS' PRESS CONFERENCE

UP NEXT
JMU hosts Villanova in the WNIT Third Round on Thursday, March 23 at 7 p.m. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Dukes and Wildcats on the hardwood.

TICKETS
WNIT Round 3 tickets are now available for sale online. The priority deadline is Tuesday at 5 p.m. for season ticket holders to reserve their same seats. Any new/additional ticket orders or seat change requests will be assigned after the deadline in priority order.
PRICES
Reserved - $15
GA - $12
Youth, Senior, F/S GA - $10