Hofstra knocks off JMU women

JMU men upset W&M

Staff Report
JMU sports: www.jmusports.com

Senior guard Sam Brigham (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) scored 19 points, including two layups at the end of regulation to tie the game, as Hofstra (11-9, 4-4) defeated James Madison (15-4, 5-3) 69-62 in overtime in Colonial Athletic Association women’s basketball Thursday evening at the JMU Convocation Center.

Hofstra outscored JMU 13-6 in overtime and never trailed in the period. Redshirt sophomore guard Candice Bellocchio (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter’s) opened the period with a three-pointer at 4:28. Freshman guard Candace Bond (Fort Washington, Md./Riverdale Baptist) scored Hofstra’s next three points, all at the foul line, to put the Pride up 62-56 at 2:26.

After a JMU basket on a putback by junior center Lauren Jimenez (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) at 2:02, Hofstra scored six straight points to pull ahead by 10, 68-58, with 44.5 seconds to go. Bond hit a 10-foot jumper on the right baseline at 1:39, Brigham knocked down two free throws with 55.7 seconds to go, and Bond converted two foul shots to push the lead to 10.

In the overtime period, Hofstra held the Dukes to shooting 13.3 percent (2-15) from the field, including 0-for-6 from the three-point line. The Pride hit two of three field-goal tries and was 8-for-10 on free throws in overtime.

Bellocchio finished with 15 points for the Pride, while junior guard Aamira Terry (Atlanta, Ga./W.D. Mohammed) had 11 and freshman forward Shante Evans (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) had 10 points to go with a team-high eight rebounds.

Junior guard Dawn Evans (Clarksville, Tenn./Northeast) scored a team-high 15 points for the Dukes, while Jimenez and redshirt senior guard Sarah Williams (Wilmington, Del./Ursuline Academy) had 14 and 11 points, respectively. Williams also had a game-high 12 rebounds and junior forward/center Jalissa Taylor (Chesterfield, Va./L.C. Bird) pulled down 11.

Dukes upset Tribe
Junior forward Denzel Bowles (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) posted 21 points and eight rebounds, including seven key points down the stretch, as James Madison defeated William and Mary 65-63 in a Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball win Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.

JMU won its second in a row to improve to 10-11 overall and 3-7 in the CAA. W&M dropped to 14-6 overall and 6-4 in the league with its third straight setback.

In a tightly-played second half, JMU moved ahead 58-57 on a jump shot by Bowles with 5:11 left in the game. His three-point play exactly one minute later made it a 61-57 edge for the Dukes.

Quinn McDowell hit a three-point field goal on the next Tribe possession to cut the margin to one. Following a pair of free throws for Bowles, McDowell connected on another three, his fifth of the night, to tie the score at 63-63.

JMU, however, held W&M scoreless the rest of the way. Senior guard Pierre Curtis (Denver, Colo./East) hit a pair of free throws with 2:08 to go for a 65-63 lead.

The Tribe then missed each of its final six shot attempts, three by leading scorer David Schneider, including a three-point attempt from the left as time expired.

The Dukes had a chance to increase the lead prior to the final Schneider miss, but Curtis missed the front end of a bonus free-throw opportunity. It was just the fourth miss in 43 career attempts against W&M for Curtis.

Bowles, who matched his season average of 21.1 points per game, posted his seventh outing of 20 or more points in 13 games this season. He converted seven of his 13 field-goal attempts and went a season-best 7-for-7 at the charity stripe.

Sophomore forward Julius Wells (Toledo, Ohio/Libbey) added 15 points, seven rebounds, and two steals in 39 minutes for the Dukes. Curtis added eight points, five boards, and six assists. Junior guard Ben Louis (Melbourne, Australia/St. Francis Xavier) contributed eight points, four boards, and a game-high three steals.

McDowell had one of his best career shooting nights, posting 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field while hitting five of his six three-point attempts. Danny Sumner added 12 points for the Tribe. Schneider finished with three points and nine rebounds after entering with a team-best average of 17.2 points per game.