Sunday, February 20, 2011

ODU, VCU rally for victories; Evans wins CAA heavyweight battle vs EDD

Sunday's results

Old Dominion 79, Hofstra 77
"Thriller" as Michael Jackson would say for the Lady Monarchs (18-8, 12-3), who needed this win to remain tied with UNC Wilmington for second in the CAA. With the game tied for the 13th time, this time at 77, Kquanise Byrd passed on the screen and drove to her left, where, hello, Shante Evans. The 5-8 ODU guard ducked under the 6-foot Hofstra forward and banked in the gamewinner. Hofstra had a final halfcourt heave that didn't fall, giving the Lady Monarchs plenty of reasons to celebrate after rebounding from Thursday's disappointing loss at VCU. The 79 points is their second largest offensive output of the season with Shadasia Green responsible for 17 of those, Jackie Cook, 16 and Alena Voronina, 15. Jasmine Parker wasn't a scoring machine (5 points), but she tied her career high with five steals. Byrd, by the way, had a career-best eight assists, but thankfully she shot at the right time.


James Madison 69, Delaware 64
In a battle of CAA heavyweights -- Dawn Evans vs. Elena Delle Donne, that is - Evans gets the nod, with 27 points, seven boards, five assists, three steals and most importantly, the win, that keeps the Dukes (21-6, 14-1) alone atop the league. Delle Donne struggled shooting the ball from the field (4-of-16), but still put up 21 points, including converting 13 of 14 from the line. Delaware led by a pair following a Delle Donne free throw, but who else, Evans, that is, put the Dukes for good on a layup with 1:45 left.

William and Mary 76, Georgia State 66
We're thrilled to see the Tribe win another conference game behind a stellar effort at the free-throw line (22-of-23), while the Panthers picked up just two points via free throw. Five players hit double figures (so much for keeping the game in the 50s, which we thought would work for the Tribe) as William and Mary was led by Taysha Pye (20 points, 7 assists). After heartbreakers in their last two, kudos to the Tribe (3-23, 2-13) for the kind of effort you want with the regular season winding down.


Towson 59, George Mason 53
The Patriots cut it to a single possession several times, including with 12.8 seconds left. But Krystal Parnell secured the Tigers third CAA win of the season with a pair of free throws. Much like Virginia and Virginia Tech struggled to score early, so did the Patriots, who managed just three field goals in the first half. Amber Easter tied her career high with 20

Duke 90, Virginia Tech 40
If you're looking for a silver lining, consider the Blue Devils (24-3, 10-2) will surely be a No. 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. What was a 7-7 tie was broken when Duke scored 22 straight. The 50-point loss was the largest margin of defeat for the Hokies (11-16, 1-11) against an ACC foe. "Coming off a 22-point loss at Maryland, I’m sure they’ve had some talking to and a discussion about their energy and they took it to another level on the defensive end," said Hokies coach Beth Dunkenberger. Tech turned it over a season-high 32 times and you wonder if Dunkenberger is tempted to throw this game tape in the dumper.

VCU 73, Drexel 67
The Lady Monarchs weren't the only state team that had to rally. VCU (16-9, 11-4) trailed by 10 with 8:49 left. Good things rarely happen to the Rams in the DAC, where they haven't won since 2006-07. But Courtney Hurt and Andrea Barbour weren't bothered by that history. The duo combined for 53 points and were instrumental in an 18-2 run that brought the Rams back. It was a two-point game with 21.9 seconds left, but Hurt drained three of four down the line to seal it. Still, what an effort by Kamile Nacickaite, who in Gabriela Marginean like fashion, posted 30 points and eight rebounds.


Boston College 73, Virginia 50
Remember that 22-0 run we mentioned above for the Blue Devils? Well, the Cavaliers (15-13, 4-8 ACC) can relate. Virginia was in the hole 20-0, scoreless for the initial 9:41, and as a result, never drew closer than 19 the rest of the way. Nothing fell for the Cavaliers, 0-of-12 from behind the arc while the Eagles plopped in nine treys. Carolyn Swords, who is as automatic as UConn winning in Storrs, finished with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting. The Cavaliers had won five straight in this series, but a crowd of nearly 5,000 saw that string snapped by a Boston College team that is 5-7 in the ACC.

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