Feb. 6, 2011
HARRISONBURG, Va. - Old Dominion cut a 19-point deficit to just four with a furious second half rally, but the Lady Monarch surge came up just short in a 67-58 loss to James Madison in front of 6,099 fans at the JMU Convocation Center Sunday afternoon.
Junior Tia Lewis recorded a team-high 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting for Old Dominion (15-7, 9-2 CAA), which had its four-game winning streak snapped and lost on the road in league play for the first time this year.
James Madison senior guard Dawn Evans, who entered the game second in the nation in scoring, posted a game-high 25 points to go along with six assists. The Dukes improve to 17-6 overall and take sole possession of first in the CAA with their 10-1 league mark.
The Dukes led by 11 at the half and a Lauren Whitehurst jumper gave JMU its biggest lead, 55-36, at the 10:57 mark. From that point, the Lady Monarchs began to crawl back into the game.
Senior Kquanise Byrd and Lewis sparked a 22-7 ODU run that cut the JMU lead from 19 to just four. Byrd hit a pair of triples and had nine points during the Lady Monarch spurt, while Lewis netted six of her 18 in the run.
A Lewis lay-up with two minutes remaining made it 62-58, but ODU would not score another point. James Madison converted on five-of-six from the free throw line to ice the game.
Byrd ended the game with 12 points, while senior Shadasia Green pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with seven points.
The Lady Monarchs now return to Norfolk for a pair of home games next week, starting with a matchup against Northeastern on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m.
-ODU-