Dukes Welcome Drexel Sunday on Duke Dog Reading Day

Sunday, January 18

Harrisonburg, Va.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

Drexel

1/16/2015 10:37:00 AM | Women's Basketball

2014-15 JMU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
GAME #17

14-2 (5-0 CAA)
Game Notes

James Madison vs. Drexel
JMU Convocation Center - Harrisonburg, Va.
Sunday, January 18, 2015 – 2 p.m.

Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
Tickets | Parking | Fan Guide

Twitter: @JMUWBasketball, #JMUDukes

10-6 (4-1 CAA)

Game Plan

Following a perfect three-game roadtrip, JMU returns home Sunday afternoon to open a brief two-game homestand with a 2 p.m. contest against Drexel at the JMU Convocation Center.
Live audio for the contest will be available through the nTelos Wireless Network on WHBG 1360 AM locally in Harrisonburg, Va., as well as online at JMUSports.com/Madizone.
To watch the game live from wherever you may be, a broadcast of the game will be available on MadiZONE HD SportsNet, which can be found by visiting JMUSports.com/Madizone, or by clicking here.
The game is sponsored by Virginia 529 and features a halftime Diaper Derby contest.
Sunday's game marks the first Duke Dog Reading Day game of the season. The program is designed to encourage and promote reading at a young age. It is set up for students in pre-Kindergarten to 5th grade to read different amounts of books based on their grade level, and those who meet specific reading goals will earn rewards from JMU Athletics in the form of free tickets to JMU women's and men's basketball games and coupons to Bruster's Real Ice Cream in Harrisonburg! For more information, please visit DukeDogReading.com.
High-volume traffic is expected on Sunday. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. (90 minutes prior to game time), so fans are encouraged to arrive early and allow extra time for parking and entry into the facility. Additional parking is available in C11, C12, R10 and U5, with shuttles running from those lots beginning at 12 p.m. and ending one hour after the game is completed. A detailed release on parking is available here.

Scouting Report

Sunday's contest marks the 28th meeting all-time between JMU and Drexel with the Dukes holding a 16-11 advantage in the series. Overall, Head Coach Kenny Brooks holds a 15-10 mark against the Dragons, going 8-3 at the Convo. Last time these two teams met came in the 2014 CAA Semifinals, a 55-43 win for the Dukes in Upper Marlboro, Md.
The Dukes have won 17 consecutive contests at the JMU Convocation Center, the fourth longest streak in the nation. They have also won 13 straight CAA contests at home.
JMU holds a perfect 5-0 record to start league play (14-2 overall) after topping Elon 68-51 on Thursday night to close out a three-game roadtrip.
On the roadtrip, JMU beat its three opponents by an average of 20.3 points per game. In the first two games of the swing against Northeastern and William & Mary, the Dukes won each game by 22 points before beating Elon by 18 points in Alumni Gym.
Against the Phoenix, junior guard Precious Hall rebounded from a slow start to lead the Dukes with 18 points, including 12 points in a four minute span during the second half. Redshirt-senior center Lauren Okafor rounded out the double-figure scoring with 17 points. She also finished off her seventh double-double of the season by pulling down 14 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass. Overall, seven of the eight players that saw time for the Dukes against Elon tallied at least four points.
Junior point guard Angela Mickens committed a career-high seven steals at Elon to lead the Dukes' 13 steals, tying the team's season high. JMU converted Elon's 22 turnovers into 22 points off the giveaways; the Phoenix converted the Dukes' 14 turnovers into just two points.
For her efforts in JMU's 3-0 showing last week against UNCW, Northeastern and William & Mary, Okafor was named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday. Over the course of the three games, Okafor averaged 14.3 points per game while shooting 66.7 percent from the floor. Additionally, she averaged nine rebounds per game. Okafor has yet to turn the ball over in five games of CAA play.
Drexel comes in having won four of its last five games. The only loss during the stretch is a 53-52 loss to Hofstra at home in overtime. The Dragons started a three-game roadtrip on Thursday night with a 49-46 victory over William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
Sarah Curran leads the way for the Dragons with 12.8 points per game. She is followed by Rachel Pearson, who is posting 11.3 points per contest. The rest of Drexel's scoring comes from various spots on the court, as four players average anywhere from 6.1 to 7.4 points per game.
Averaging 57.1 points per game, Drexel is second-to-last in the conference on scoring offense. In contrast, JMU leads the CAA with an average of 73.9 points per game.
Drexel is the best free throw shooting team in the conference with a 76.4 percent clip from the charity stripe. The defensive-minded Dragons are also giving up the least points per game in the conference, allowing opponents to just 55.4 points per game.