WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LOSES 86-71 TO VIRGINIA TECH

Sunday, November 20

Blacksburg, Va.

James Madison University

1-1

Virginia Tech

1-0

JMU

Virginia Tech

11/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Game Statistics

From Virginia Tech Sports Information

BLACKSBURG, Va., November 20, 2005 - Behind four players in double figures, the Virginia Tech women's basketball team opened its season with an 86-71 win over James Madison in Cassell Coliseum.

Senior Carrie Mason (Seneca, Pa.) led the Hokies with 20 points. With her first basket of the game, a lay-up at the 16:50 mark, Mason became the 17^th Hokie to reach the 1,000 point mark. Mason went 7-for-10 from the floor, and had five rebounds.

In her first collegiate basketball game, freshman Brittany Cook (Narrows, Va.) reached double figures, scoring 17 points. Senior Kerri Gardin (Morganton, N.C.) just missed a double-double, with 15 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, while senior Dawn Chriss (Hilcrest Heights, Md.) added 12 points.

As a team, Tech (1-0) shot 51.6 percent from the floor, with 69.2 shooting in the second half. The Dukes (1-1) shot 43.1 percent in the game.

Led off the bench by Cook, junior Britney Anderson (Blacksburg, Va.) scored nine points and junior Nare Diawara (Bamako, Mali) added two points, as the Tech bench outscored the Dukes 28-2.

The Dukes had four starters in double figures, led by junior Meredith Alexis (Hanover Township, Pa./Bishop Hoban), who had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Lesley Dickinson (Queens Village, N.Y./Christ the King) scored 22 points, while sophomore Tamera Young (Wilmington, N.C./Laney) and junior Shirley McCall (Collinsville, Va./Bassett) scored 14 and 13 points respectively.

Up by one point, 17-16 at the 10 minute mark, the Hokies took a 10-point lead off a 15-6 run over the next five minutes that was led by five points from Cook and capped off with a lay-up from Anderson. Tech held a 40-32 halftime lead.

In the second half, Tech led by as many as 18 points and after the first 15 minutes, never trailed by less than 10. Led by four points from Gardin, the Hokies went on an 8-0 run to put the game out of reach, 60-42. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the contest.

The victory marked the 14^th straight home-opening win, and the ninth consecutive time the team has opened the season with a victory.

Tech has won eight straight games in the series against James Madison. Against non-conference opponents, the Hokies have defeated their last 20 of 21 in Cassell Coliseum, and the last 34 of 36 overall.