JMU Captures First Road Win, 62-48 at Liberty

Tuesday, November 15

Lynchburg, Va.

5 p.m.

James Madison University

2-1

Liberty

0-2

James Madison

Liberty

11/15/2016 7:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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LYNCHBURG, Va. – James Madison women's basketball (2-1) used a trio of double-digit scorers and a strong presence in the paint to pick up a 62-48 win at Liberty (0-2) on the road Tuesday night.

Redshirt junior forward Tasia Butler notched her first career double-double, posting career bests in both points (16) and rebounds (10). Redshirt senior guard Precious Hall led all scorers with 17 points, while freshman guard Kamiah Smalls scored 16 points, as both were in double figures for the third straight game.

The Dukes held the Flames to 28.8-percent shooting from the floor while sinking 42.6 percent of their own attempts. JMU dominated the paint with a 36-18 point advantage and capitalized on offensive rebounds for a 17-7 lead in second-chance points, despite Liberty's 17-15 edge in offensive boards.

JMU held off a third-quarter surge by Liberty as the Flames closed the gap to four points (35-31), going 6-for-11 from the floor. The Dukes, however, settled in defensively and started the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run to push the lead to double digits for good.

This completes a three-game in five-day swing for the Dukes. They next play at No. 12 Florida State on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m.

BUTLER'S CAREER NIGHT
Tasia Butler scored a career-high 16 points and pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double. She went 7-for-7 from the floor, the first to shoot 100 percent from the floor since Kayla Cooper-Williams went 5-for-5 against Drexel on Jan. 15, 2016. She also added a career-best two steals and a block over a career-high 32 minutes on the floor.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Precious Hall used her 17 points to push her career scoring total to 1,586 points. Currently in eighth place, she needs 79 points to move into the top five at 1,648 career points. Fifth place is held by former teammate and current pro player Kirby Burkholder (JMU '14) at 1,647 points. Sixth place belongs to Lesley Dickinson (1,616) and seventh place is held by Hilly RIlinger (1,607).

@TheBreezeSports @JMUSports #GoDukes #beatLiberty pic.twitter.com/b3LUpKY7K4
— jmusuperfan (@jmusuperfan) November 15, 2016

UP NEXT
JMU continues its stretch away from the Convocation Center as the Dukes head south to take on No. 12 Florida State on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. This will be the Dukes' second meeting in four games with a nationally-ranked foe.