WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Senior guard Kamiah Smalls scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the second half as James Madison held off UNCW to post a 66-58 victory in Colonial Athletic Association women's basketball action at Trask Coliseum on Friday evening.
 
The win upped the Dukes' record to 12-3 overall and 3-1 in the CAA while UNCW dropped to 5-11 overall with a 2-3 mark against league foes.
 
Smalls, the CAA Preseason Player of the Year, led three James Madison players in double figures after knocking down 7 of 12 shots from the floor, including a 4-for-5 effort from three-point range, while adding six rebounds.
 
Redshirt senior guard Jackie Benitez added 12 points while sophomore Madison Green came off the bench to contribute 10 points.
 
UNCW, which had four players reach double figures, was led by redshirt senior center Chinyere Bell, who recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Redshirt senior guard GiGi Smith chipped in 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field while senior guard Lacey Suggs posted a 12-point effort.
 
Senior guard Ahyiona Vason completed the quartet with 11 points, hitting four of six shots from the field and both of her free throws.
 
Key Moment: After UNCW put together an 11-0 run to tie the game at 38-38 with 5:16 remaining in the third quarter, James Madison scored the next 13 points to claim a 51-38 lead it did not relinquish. Green scored five of her points during the outburst as the Dukes held the Seahawks without a field goal for over six minutes.   
 
Game Notes:

• James Madison improved to 65-10 all-time against the Seahawks and has won 19 of the last 20 pairings, including the last two in a row.
• Bell authored her first double-double of the season with her 12 points and season-high 10 rebounds … It is the fourth double-double of her college career.
• Smith has scored in double figures in 15 of the Seahawks' 16 games this season.
• Suggs extended her streak of consecutive double-digit scoring efforts to eight games after tallying 12 points on Friday night … She now has 877 career points in 80 career games.
• Vason recorded her sixth double-digit scoring performance of the year, including her second against CAA opponents.
• Smalls registered her 76th double-digit scoring effort of her career, including the 25th 20-point performance.
• Led by Bell's 12 points, the Seahawks held a 21-14 advantage in bench scoring along with a 22-20 edge in points in the paint.

Up Next: UNCW completes the weekend on Sunday, Jan. 19, when the Seahawks host defending CAA champion Towson for a 2 p.m. tip at Trask Coliseum.

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