WNIT Action: Dukes Down American

March 20, 2009 • By Wes Shaw, The Breeze
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If it was good, it would have counted, and James Madison’s season could have ended in just five short minutes.

Luckily for the women’s basketball team, however, American sophomore Michelle Kirk missed a last-second runner that would have sent the game into overtime, and JMU lives to play another day.

Madison (24-9) trailed by as much as nine late in the first half but came back to defeat American 61-59 Friday night in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

Seeing as how one of Kenny Brooks’ favorite post-game cliches is “Survive and advance,” Friday’s win was fitting for the Dukes.

American coach Matt Corkery opted not to call a timeout as his team drove down the court with just over 13 seconds remaining, believing it would throw off his team’s flow.

“We just wanted to stay aggressive, stay in attack mode,” Corkery said of the game’s final possession. “If I had to do it over again I’d call a timeout. But hindsight is obviously 20-20.”

Still, Corkery said he was satisfied with the shot he got from Kirk, American’s leading scorer in 2009.

“We want our best players taking open shots in that situation and we got that,” he said. “So we can live with it.”

American (19-12) took its biggest lead of the night at that point, 29-21, when freshman Ebony Edwards hit a 3-pointer at the 6:12 mark of the first half, causing Brooks to use a timeout.

Directly off the inbound, Edwards stole the ball from sophomore Dawn Evans and was fouled hard by JMU’s point guard on a breakaway layup on the other end. American went up nine after she split the free throws.

Earlier in the first half, Evans hit her 172nd career 3-pointer, setting a JMU record for career conversions from behind the arc. She finished with 173, and still has two full seasons to improve on that mark.

“When I recruited her I knew she was gonna be one of the best shooters I ever coached,” Brooks said. “But I think it’s remarkable for her to be able to reach that point so fast.”

The record-setting 3 gave Evans 11 points just seven minutes into the game, when JMU led 15-11. She cooled, however, finishing the first half with 15 and the game with 26.

Madison suffered a scare late in the game when Evans went down hard with a hyperextended right knee. She lay on the ground for a little over a minute before the training staff helped her off the court. The injury was not as bad as it initially looked, however, as she returned to the floor less than a minute later.

Brooks said he knew Evans was OK when she came up to him saying she was embarrassed because so many people were looking at her.

“It scared me,” Evans said. “The pain at first hurt a lot but as it subsided I got embarrassed because I’m always on the floor anyway.”

JMU plays at Richmond on Sunday as senior forward Kisha Stokes goes for her 100th career victory as a Duke.

“That’s just unbelievable to me,” Brooks said of the milestone his guard is closing in on. “So for us to be playing again is exciting.”

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