Nov. 29, 2009

Box Score

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's basketball returned home, from its two-game Alaskan road trip, to drop an 80-63 decision to James Madison Sunday in the Ramsey Center. The Catamounts fall to 1-5 while JMU improves to 4-0.

Junior Emily Clarke led Western Carolina with a season-high 20 points, hitting all three of the team's three-pointers in the game. It is the third straight game the Catamounts have had a player score 20 or more points, as sophomore Kaila'Shea Menendez had 20 and 21 points against Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina.

The Catamounts led just one time in the game, a 6-4 advantage with 18:04 left in the first half. There was only two ties in the game, the second at six all, before the Dukes' Tarik Hislop drained a three-pointer to make the score 9-6 - JMU never trailed again.

James Madison inflated its lead to as much as 10, 20-10, with 11:44 left, before junior Kendra Carroll hit a jumper to cut the score to 20-12. Western Carolina kept the JMU lead in single digits the rest of the half, and even shaved the Dukes' lead to three when Clarke nailed three-pointer with 10 minutes left. A lay-up by JMU's Dawn Evans pushed the lead back to five.

Western Carolina managed to cut the JMU back down to three late in the first half, 3:42, off a pair of free throws by Jessica Jackson. However, par for the game for James Madison, the Dukes had an answer thanks to a lay-up by Nikki Newman.

The Catamounts trailed by five at the half, 34-29, thanks to a last second basket from Janae' McKinney.

Western Carolina kept the game close in the second half, four times cutting the JMU lead to just four points. James Madison pulled away thanks to a 10-2 run beginning at the 11:56 mark and built a 12 point advantage, 55-45, capped off by a jumper by Nichelle Glover.

JMU built a15 point advantage, when the Dukes' Hislop hit a jumper with 2:22 left to make the score 70-55.

Western Carolina committed 16 turnovers allowing JMU to convert 21 points off the Catamount miscues. James Madison also won the rebounding battle 40-37.

Carroll was on the only other player to score in double figures with 10 points. James Madison's Evans led all scorers with 25 points.

Western Carolina continues its three-game home stand hosting UNC Asheville at 5 p.m. Wednesday.