JMU Falls 73-71 in Double Overtime Heartbreaker at Drexel

Friday, February 23

Philadelphia, Pa.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

18-9 (14-2CAA)

Drexel

21-6 (13-2CAA)

OT 1

OT 2

JAMES MADISON

DREXEL

JMU Falls 73-71 in Double Overtime Heartbreaker at Drexel

2/23/2018 10:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The comeback attempt from James Madison women's basketball was cut just short as the Dukes (18-9, 14-2 CAA) dropped a 73-71 heartbreaker at Drexel (21-6, 13-2 CAA) in double overtime.

Trailing 72-65 with 20 seconds left in the second overtime frame, senior Hailee Barron drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to pull the Dukes back within two possessions. The Dukes immediately fouled, sending Megan Marecic to the line for a pair. She went 1-for-2 and JMU ran the floor, once again finding Barron for the 3-point make.

Drexel called a timeout and advanced, but the Dukes were able to get the steal and had time to run the floor, but sophomore Kamiah Smalls layup attempt bounced off the rim and fell into the hands of the Dragons as time expired.

Smalls finished with 14 points, tied for JMU high honors with sophomore Devon Merritt, who reached a career high. Sophomore Lexie Barrier and redshirt sophomore Kelly Koshuta also reached double figures with 10 apiece.

PACE OF PLAY

JMU opened the game on a 7-2 run.
Drexel countered used a 15-3 run to take the 19-12 lead.
The Dragons led by as many as nine points in the second quarter (30-21, 0:55) and in the third quarter (41-32, 1:59).
JMU used a 5-2 run to close the fourth quarter and send the game into overtime.
The Dragons scored the opening four points in the first overtime before the Dukes closed on a 6-2 run to send it to a second overtime.
After a made free throw gave JMU a 63-62 lead, Drexel went on a 10-2 run to take the lead for good (72-65, 0:39) in the second overtime, which included eight made free throws.
There were five lead changes and 10 tied scores.

TURNOVER WOES
The Dukes committed 18 turnovers in the contest while the Dragons committed just nine, which they converted into a 22-3 advantage in points-off-turnovers. JMU turned the ball over nine times over the first 20 minutes, including six in the first quarter.

SECOND CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES
Despite a 17-13 JMU edge in rebounds, Drexel held a 10-2 advantage in second-chance points in the first half off five offensive boards. The Dukes took the second-chance point edge over the second half and double overtime, 13-12, and finished with a 45-34 lead in rebounds.

HAVE A NIGHT, DEVON
Devon Merritt set a career high in points (14) as well as rebounds (12), marking the first double-double of her career.

SHARING IS CARING
For the 12^th time in league action, the Dukes tallied assists on at least 50 percent of their made shots, having 15 assists on 26 makes. Lexie Barrier led the team with six, tying her career high.

CONSISTENCY
Senior Hailee Barron appeared in her 128th consecutive game, moving past JMU Hall of Famer Tamera Young for sole possession of the second-longest streak in JMU history. She also moved into a tie for ninth all-time on the career games played chart with Jalissa Taylor (128).

CAA LANDSCAPE
The Dukes are still a game up in the CAA standings at 14-2 with two games to play. The Dragons sit at 13-2 with three games to play. Both teams could finish the season tied at 16-2, which would invoke the league's tiebreaker rules.

UP NEXT
JMU returns home for its final two regular-season contests, beginning with Delaware on Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. Sunday is the final Duke Dog Reading Day, so fans are encouraged to arrive early as large crowds are expected. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. to facilitate those crowds.