Jan. 6, 2006
Box Score
Fairfax, Va.--In its second Colonial Athletic Association game of the season, George Mason University's women's basketball team came up short against James Madison as the Dukes defeated the Patriots by a score of 68-50 Friday evening at the Patriot Center. With this loss, Mason's overall record drops to 4-7 (0-2 CAA), while JMU improves to 10-1 on the year (2-0).
JMU started the scoring on the evening with a made 3-pointer by sophomore guard Tamera Young, which was followed by a jumper by Mason sophomore forward Moni Akintunde (Laurel, Md.). Baskets were traded for the first five minutes and the Patriots cut the deficit to just one point (7-6) at the 16:22 mark after junior forward Tracy Ann Holness (Brooklyn, N.Y.) made a layup, which is the closest Mason would get to the Dukes in the first stanza.
JMU then went on an 8-0 run, but the Patriots responded as they scored the next six points of the game to pull within three after sophomore guard Keyhana Wakefield (Albany, N.Y.) added two points for Mason. The Dukes led by as much as 14 with just under two minutes in the half and headed into the break with a 41-29 lead over the Patriots.
The second half started off with an 8-0 scoring run by Mason, which included two made free throws by both Holness and senior guard Jen Daniels (Brigantine, N.J.). After a 2-pointer by Daniels, Mason was only down by four at the 16:19 mark (41-37), but JMU responded with an 11-2 run. Mason pulled within five after Daniels sank a 3-pointer with just under seven minutes (52-47), but that is the closest Mason would get to JMU as the Dukes closed out the game with an 18-point victory for their largest lead of the contest.
Daniels led the Patriots with 13 points, which included three treys on the night, while junior Nikkia Slade (Yorktown, Va.) was the other Mason player to score in double figures as she added 11 and also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Casey Quigley (Springfield, Va.) matched her career-high of six caroms in 17 minutes of play.
Junior center Meredith Alexis led all scorers with 21 for a new personal-best and also tied JMU's school record with her 29th career double-double as she collected 10 rebounds on the night. Alexis also tallied a season-high five blocks. Junior guard Shirley McCall also registered a double-double as she added 14 points and also pulled down a game-high 11 boards, while sophomore guard Tamera Young chipped in 15 points for the Dukes.
The Patriots were 20-of-59 from the field (34 percent), while the Dukes shot 45 percent (26-of-58) on the night. JMU had the advantage on the boards, 46-32, while Mason collected 10 steals to the Dukes six.
The Patriots will return to action when they face Virginia Commonwealth (7-4, 0-2 CAA) at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va. on Jan. 8 at 2 p.m.
