WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WINS EXHIBITION WITH CALIFORNIA (PA.) 84-63

Friday, November 13

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7:00 PM

James Madison University

California (Pa.) (Exhibition)

11/14/2009 2:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

HARRISONBURG, Va., Nov. 13, 2009 -- James Madison junior guard Dawn Evans (Clarksville, Tenn./Northeast) had 23 points and eight assists to lead the Dukes to a 84-63 win over Division II California (Pa.) in a women's basketball exhibition game Friday night at the JMU Convocation Center.

The exhibition against California, the fourth-ranked team in the USA Today/ESPN Division II preseason poll, was the Dukes' first contest of the year.

Freshman guard Tarik Hislop (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) had 20 points in 34 minutes in her first game in a Dukes' uniform, and junior center Jalissa Taylor (Chesterfield, Va./L.C. Bird) had 13 points and 12 rebounds to record a double-double.

After both teams scored on their Hislop's putback of an Evans three-point attempt gave the Dukes a 4-2 lead. The Dukes used that basket to kick start a 25-5 run over the next 6:13 to go up 27-7.

California followed that by scoring 14 straight points over the next 2:47 to cut the lead to six (27-21 at 6:52). Senior guard Brooque Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry), who finished with a double-double, scored nine of her 17 points during that stretch. An Evans three-pointer ended the run and the Vulcans never got closer than nine points the rest of the game.

The Dukes shot 54 percent (19-35) from the field in the first half en route to a 45-30 halftime lead. JMU also out-rebounded the Vulcans 25-10 in the first period.

JMU out-rebounded California 53-33 for the game.

Redshirt senior guard Sarah Williams (Wilmington, Del./Ursuline Academy) also had 12 points for the Dukes.

Freshman guard Megan Kermond (Adelaide, Australia/Unley) and junior forward Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.Va./Elkins) also finished in double-digits for California with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Williams' rebound total was 10.