WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Junior guard
Shatia Cole (Myrtle Beach H.S./Myrtle Beach, S.C.) and sophomore guard
Brie Mobley (Winter Haven H.S./Winter Haven, Fla.) each scored 11 points, but it was not enough as the UNCW women's basketball team dropped an 85-49 Colonial Athletic Association decision against No. 23/21 James Madison at Trask Coliseum on Thursday evening.
The Dukes, who improve to 23-2 overall and 14-0 in the CAA, secured at least a share of the regular season championship and the top seed in the CAA Tournament after winning their 14th game in a row. Meanwhile, the Seahawks fall to 10-15 overall and 6-8 in the CAA after having their two-game win streak snapped.
Junior guard
Precious Hall (Maclay School/Tallahassee, Fla.) scored 17 of her game-high 25 points in the first half to lead the Dukes to the victory. She made 8 of 13 shots from the floor, including a 2-for-6 effort from three-point range, along with connecting on 7 of 10 free throws.
After the Dukes battled UNCW to a 19-16 advantage in the opening 8:33 of the first half, James Madison scored 12 of the next 14 points, including 10 points from Hall, to increase the margin to 31-18 with 6:51 remaining in the period.
The Seahawks trimmed the deficit to 34-26 with 1:02 remaining in the first half before a pair of Hall free throws gave James Madison a 10-point edge at the intermission.
The Dukes broke away in the first 13-plus minutes of the second half by going on a 40-10 run, upping their lead to 76-36 with 6:36 remaining.
Hall was one of three JMU players to score in double figures. Junior guard
Ashley Perez (Manchester H.S./Manchester, Conn.) came off the bench to score 13 points while junior guard
Jazmon Gwathmey (Liberty H.S./Bealeton, Va.) added 11 points with five steals.
Cole made five of eight shots from the floor and tallied four rebounds while Mobley added five rebounds and two steals for UNCW, which outrebounded the Dukes by a 48-42 margin.
The Seahawks will play their penultimate road game of the regular season on Sunday, Feb. 22 when they visit Towson for a 2:00 p.m. CAA game at SECU Arena. Meanwhile, the Dukes will host Hofstra on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
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