Kelly Koshuta and Lexie Barrier scored 25 and 24 points to guide JMU in its quarterfinal win.
No. 2 JMU Advances to CAA Semifinals
Tim McDonnell
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PHILADELPHIA (March 8, 2018) – Sophomore
Lexie Barrier scored 17 of her career-high 24 points in the first half and redshirt sophomore
Kelly Koshuta turned in a game-high 25 points to help second-seeded James Madison defeat No. 10 seed College of Charleston, 81-66, in the third quarterfinal game of the 2018 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship.
The Dukes (21-9), appearing in the championship with the No. 2 overall seed for the second straight year, advance to Friday’s semifinals to face either No. 3 Elon or No. 6 William & Mary at 5:30 p.m.
James Madison’s three All-CAA performers, had strong offensive nights. Koshuta also scored 17 first-half points and finished with eight rebounds while
Kamiah Smalls added 14 points and seven boards and Barrier shot 10-of-14 from the field to go with six rebounds and four assists in the win.
After upsetting Hofstra in the tournament first round on Wednesday, College of Charleston battled well in defeat and finishes its year with a 7-24 record. Redshirt senior
Tanisha Brown recorded a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while sophomore
Cailin Dorsey had 12 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from behind the arc.
HOW IT HAPPENED
JMU started hot from the get-go, scoring four points less than one minute in, and quickly pushed the advantage to 13-3 at the first timeout. Dorsey provided CofC’s offensive spark in the first quarter with a pair of treys, though the Dukes led, 20-12.
A similar theme continued into the second quarter, but Charleston continued to hang around in part thanks to a perfect 5-for-5 effort from 3-point range. JMU held a 43-34 edge at the break as Koshuta quietly led the game with 16 points, Smalls added 10, and Barrier supplied nine. The Cougars made seven triples along in the first half, with Ford and Brown accounting for three apiece. Madison owned a 22-8 first-half advantage for points in the paint.
Following Dorsey’s fourth trey of the game with 4:08 remaining in the third quarter that cut the Cougar deficit to four, 49-45, Madison closed the period on a 9-3 run and entered the fourth ahead by 10.
In the final quarter, Barrier and Koshuta helped the Dukes pull away for good with three 3-pointers in just over one minute of play that increased their team’s lead to 14, before Madison held on the rest of the way down the final stretch.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
James Madison owns 13 straight 20-win seasons, a mark which ranks second in CAA history behind former league member ODU (17 straight).
The Dukes are seeking their third conference title in the past four seasons and have appeared in the championship final 18 times.
JMU redshirt sophomore
Kayla Cooper-Williams added nine points for the Dukes along with six rebounds. The Dukes forced 20 CofC turnovers and owned a 17-2 advantage in second chance points.
CofC advanced to the tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2016. The Cougs shot 9-of-18 from 3-point range in the game, but went 2-for-9 in the second half. Sophomore
Deja Ford scored 11 points in defeat.