Hall Drops 39 Points in JMU's 81-69 Loss to #13 Tennessee

Friday, November 11

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

0-1

Tennessee

1-0

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Tennessee	18	28	12	23	81
JMU	19	20	17	13	69

Hall Drops 39 Points in JMU's 81-69 Loss to #13 Tennessee

11/11/2016 10:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison women's basketball dropped a back-and-forth game to No. 13/14 Tennessee, 81-69, at the Convocation Center on Friday night. Redshirt senior guard Precious Hall dropped a career-high 39 points, the second-highest single-game total in JMU history.

The Dukes led by as many as eight points in the first quarter and kept the game within a 10-point margin for most of the game. A three-pointer by Hall tied the game at 62-62 early in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Vols countered with a 12-1 run, hitting five of six field goals to take a 74-63 lead going into the final media timeout.

Freshman guard Kamiah Smalls filled the stat sheet in her collegiate debut, scoring 15 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and notching three steals and an assist. This is the second consecutive year a JMU freshman has recorded a double-double in a season-opening debut, as Savannah Felgemacher completed the feat last year.

JMU hit 40.3 percent (27-67) of their field goals and 37.5 percent (9-24) on three-pointers. The Dukes, however, knocked down just 37.5 percent (6-16) of their free throws compared to Tennessee's 75.8 percent (25-33) showing at the line.

Tennessee was led by Jaime Nared who totaled 19 points and eight rebounds. Mercedes Russell added a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The Dukes return to competition on Sunday, Nov. 13 against St. Francis (NY) at 4:30 p.m. The game is the second of a basketball doubleheader at the JMU Convocation Center, tipping off at 2 p.m. as the men's team hosts Rice.

PHOTO OF THE GAME
View the full gallery here.
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Precious Hall dropped 39 points in her first game back from injury.

BUCKETS ON BUCKETS
Precious Hall scored a career-high 39 points in the season opener, the second highest single-game total in program history. The single-game record is held by Dawn Evans, who dropped 42 points against Virginia on Dec. 20, 2010.

STRONG DEBUT
Kamiah Smalls tallied a double-double in her debut, posting 15 points and pulling down a team-high 12 rebounds. This marks the second straight season a freshman has notched a double-double in her season debut, as Savannah Felgemacher matched the feat in the 2015 opener vs. Longwood (17pts, 12rebs).

DUKES SUPPORT DUKES

Over 30 former JMU women's basketball players, who spanned three decades with the Dukes, were on hand to support the 2016-17 in their season opener.

CRAMMING THE CONVO
The Convo held 3,471 fans on Friday night, marking the 40^th straight game where at least 2,000 fans have been on hand to watch the women's basketball team at home.

STAND YOUR GROUND
Da'Lishia Griffin took the first official charge of the 2016-17 season, standing her ground in the paint. The Dukes outscored the Lady Vols 30-18 in the paint.

UP NEXT
JMU continues its opening stretch on Sunday with a 4:30 p.m. contest against St. Francis (NY) at the Convo. It is the second of three games for the Dukes in the first five days of the season.