JMU Eliminates Orange From WNIT, 74-71

Wednesday, March 28

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

Syracuse University

James Madison

Kayla Alexander scored 29 points for the second time in the tournament to lead the Orange

3/28/2012 7:48:48 PM | Women's Basketball

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HARRISONBURG, Va. – Trailing 73-68 with 49 seconds left in regulation, the Orange would cut the James Madison lead to two with 21 seconds left, but could get no closer as the Dukes defeated the Syracuse women's basketball team 74-71 in the WNIT Semifinals on Wednesday night at the JMU Convocation Center. Kayla Alexander led all scorers with 29 points and 13 rebounds, as Syracuse finishes the season 22-15.

Free throws were the story throughout the game as the Orange went 9-of-15 compared to JMU's 23-of-30 performance. Overall, SU shot 38 percent in the game (29-of-77) while the Dukes shot 24-of-68 from the field. Kirby Burkholder led JMU with 18 points (10 in the second half).

With JMU leading 10-9 with 13:17 left in the opening 20 minutes, Iasia Hemingway (16 points, nine rebounds) scored two of her eight first half points with a drive in the paint to give SU its first lead of the game at 11-10. The Dukes would answer, however, with five straight points from Jasmine Gill as James Madison retook the lead, its largest of the game, at 18-13.

The Orange would respond with a 6-0 run in less than two minutes, including four points from Alexander, to give SU a 19-18 edge with 9:54 left to play in the half.

Syracuse continued to work the ball down to Alexander under the basket, bringing the Orange to within one at 23-22 with 6:02 remaining. SU would later knot the score at 25 with 4:47 left on a deep three from Rachel Coffey (six points, six assists), and Hemingway would give the Orange a two-point lead on a layup for a 27-25 advantage.

Alexander would score inside once again with a layup to make it a 31-29 game before Burkholder scored the final four points of the half to give the Dukes a two-point edge at halftime.

The Orange came out of the break with a 12-4 run, including back-to-back threes from Elashier Hall (18 points) to give SU a 43-37 lead.

With SU leading 47-40, its largest lead of the game at the time, JMU went on a 5-0 run, with three points coming from Nikki Newman, to cut the lead to two with 13:47 remaining in regulation, prompting an Orange timeout.

Burkholder led the attack for JMU throughout the second half, scoring eight straight points for the Dukes to give them a 61-55 lead with 6:53 left.

After Alexander hit 1-of-2 free throws to cut the JMU lead to 67-62, Newman buried a three from straightaway for an eight point edge with 3:36 remaining.

With JMU leading 70-65 with less than two minutes left, Hall cut it to a one possession game by completing the three-point play with a jumper in the lane, drawing a foul on Burkholder. The Dukes would bring its lead back up to five on the next possession before Alexander made it a two point game with 22.2 seconds left in regulation on a three-point play at 73-71.

Tarik Hislop would hit 1-of-2 free throws with 15 seconds left, extending the James Madison lead to 74-71, and Coffey nearly tied with a deep three from the left side, but the shot went begging off the rim and out of bounds, giving the Dukes possession with 0.7 seconds left.