HARRISONBURG, Va., Feb. 17, 2012 -- With four regular-season games remaining, the James Madison women's basketball team is closing in on a first-round bye in the upcoming Colonial Athletic Association Championship.
The Dukes take a 20-5 overall record, an 11-3 league mark and a five-game winning streak into a Feb. 19 game at Northeastern. JMU needs just one more win to secure a top-four seed and a first-round bye in the 12-team CAA Tournament.
CAA Standings (through Feb. 16)
1. Delaware, 14-0
2. James Madison, 11-3
3. Hofstra, 9-5
Drexel, 9-5
5. UNC Wilmington, 8-6
6. VCU, 7-7
Towson, 7-7
8. George Mason, 6-8
Old Dominion, 6-8
10. Northeastern, 3-11
William and Mary, 3-11
12. Georgia State, 2-12
GAME 26: JMU vs. Northeastern
When: Sunday, Feb. 19, 2 p.m.
Where: Solomon Court (capacity 2,500), Boston, Mass.
Audio: WHBG ESPN 1360 AM, Harrisonburg, Va. | MadiZONE on JMUSports.com
Live Stats
About Northeastern: Located in Boston, Mass.... enrollment 15,699.
Home Court: Solomon Court (capacity 2,500)
Conference Affiliation: CAA member... picked to finish last in 2012.
Coach: Daynia LaForce-Mann (Georgetown '95), 56-121 in six Northeastern seasons and 79-128 in seven career seasons
Record: 5-20 overall, 3-11 CAA ... CAA wins at home over George Mason (58-54), William and Mary (82-71) and Georgia State (76-51)... CAA losses at home to ODU (73-70), Delaware (70-54), UNCW (69-64) and Drexel (63-41) and on the road at VCU (67-60), UNCW (60-53), Drexel (66-36), Hofstra (72-66), Georgia State (81-74), George Mason (75-62) and Towson (58-54).
Players to Watch:
Deanna Kerkhof... 5-11 junior guard... team-high 14.1 ppg
Jewel Tunstall... 6-3 sophomore center/forward... 12.6 ppg, team-high 6.9 rpg
Scouting JMU
Coach: Kenny Brooks (JMU '92), 218-92 in 10 JMU & career seasons
Record: 20-5 overall, 11-3 CAA | Complete Results
Players to Watch:
Tarik Hislop... 5-7 junior guard... team-high 14.8 ppg, team-high 3.7 assists per game... preseason All-CAA Second Team... dubbed "rising star" by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Kirby Burkholder... 6-0 sophomore guard... 10.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, team-high 2.0 steals per game
Lauren Whitehurst... 6-2 redshirt-senior center... 8.6 ppg, team-high 7.4 rpg, team-high 1.6 blocks per game
Nikki Newman... 6-2 junior forward... 7.4 rpg
Jasmine Gill... 6-1 redshirt-junior guard... 10.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg... preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention
Of Note: JMU leads the CAA and ranks 12th in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense (34.2)... the Dukes' defense has helped them post five straight wins... that ties the team's longest winning streak of the season... JMU has won six consecutive CAA games on the road
Last Time Out: JMU scored the game's first 12 points and never trailed in posting a 63-52 win over North Carolina Wilmington Thursday night at the JMU Convocation Center. MORE
The Series: JMU leads the series 11-0, including a 9-0 record since Northeastern joined the CAA for the 2005-06 season. Although the Dukes won last year's meeting by 23 points (84-61), the previous three games were decided by an average of 5.6 points. The last time the teams met in Boston, JMU came away with a 64-57 victory in the 2009-10 season.
Last Season's Meeting
Jan. 2, 2011: JMU 84, Northeastern 61
Dawn Evans scored 21 of her game-high 31 points in the second half to lead JMU to the win at the JMU Convocation Center. MORE
