ODU rains 3s; JMU, VCU win; Tribe so close against Hofstra

Sunday in the CAA

197 points? We credit William and Mary for going toe-to-toe with Hofstra for 40 minutes in this 100-97 shootout at the OK Corral also known as Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg. Taysha Pye scored 32, one shy of her career high, but six Pride players were in double figures, including Shante Evans with 22. W&M (8-6, 1-2) had 59 points -- at the half. Janine Aldridge (22 points) misfired on two shots in the final seven seconds, one a 3 that hit back iron. Emily Correal finished with 12 points and 11 boards and Kat DeHenzel, 10 points and 12 assists. The game shattered the old scoring mark at Kaplan Arena (178 points). We note Hofstra (11-3, 3-0) was called for delay of game. Are you kidding?

Somebody forgot to tell the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs (5-10, 2-1) that they don't shoot the 3 ball well. ODU hit 11 treys - one shy of the school record - in a 73-70 victory in Boston over Northeastern. Five of those were from from freshman Myeisha Hall, who tied her career high with 15 points. Jackie Cook scored a career-best 19 with three assists and Tia Lewis battled foul trouble and finished with 16. ODU earned its first road win of the season and hosts VCU next.

Hurt added 15 rebounds.

Beth Cunningham had high praise for her team's defensive effort, which included outboarding UNC Wilmington by 16 in this 63-53 Rams victory. The usual suspects, Courtney Hurt and Andrea Barbour, shook off a lackluster performance at James Madison to score 21 and 23, respectively. The Seahawks tied the game at 49 but managed just one more field goal, as VCU (9-5, 2-1) closed the game on a 16-4 run. "We struggled there during the middle of the half guarding the basketball, and they started to do a good job attacking the basket," Cunningham said. "Andrea came up with two big stops on defense and that was really the turning point that allowed us to get over the hump. We did a good job defensively and we had some kids step up and make some shots." The loss snapped a three-game losing streak for the Rams.

The James Madison defense was doing what it does best -- holding an opponent to 50 points or fewer. This time it was to secure at 62-50 victory at Georgia State. The Panthers shot just 27 percent for the game, and JMU (11-3, 2-1) won its fourth straight. Four Dukes starters were in double figures, led by Jasmine Gill's 14.

Finally, George Mason's Taleia Moton evoked images of her early-season scoring form by pouring in 30 points. Problem was, Delaware's Elena Delle Donne had 40 - along with 15 rebounds - and the No. 21 Blue Hens prevailed 66-54 at the Patriot Center. Delaware complemented Delle Donne's brilliance with a staggering 49-19 rebounding edge, including a 17-4 advantage on the offensive boards and a 15-2 edge in second-chance points.

Still, the Patriots (7-7, 1-2 CAA) were able to pressure the Blue Hens into 21 turnovers (Delaware averaged just 13.8 coming in), including three by Delle Donne. In addition to her many other attributes, Delle Donne is also one of the least mistake-prone players in the game. Mason also held Delaware's starting guards, Lauren Carra, Trumae Lucas and Akeema Richards, to a combined 2-of-19 shooting.

"A lot of times teams use different tactics to try to pull off upsets and the bottom line is our team has to try to stand up to that," Delaware coach Tina Martin said. "Their tactic was to wear us down and hang all over us, and we missed some shots we'd normally make. Our players really hung tough and allowed a lot to go on. We did what we needed to do to get a win.

Given the Patriots' success against the Delaware guards, it's a tactic Martin should expect to see again. Other CAA coaches are no doubt studying this tape as we type this.