The Elon University women’s basketball team fell to No. 1 seed James Madison University on Saturday, 63-60. The loss marks the Phoenix’s third to the Dukes this season, and effectively ends their season.
Things started well for Elon. Freshman guard Shay Burnett had 10 points in the first half, going 3-5 from the field, and tallying three steals. The Phoenix led by as many as six with 1:46 to play, and went into the locker room leading 35-32. Sophomore forward Jenifer Rhodes also contributed before the half, scoring eight points and knocking down a pair of free throws.
After halftime, the Phoenix was able to maintain the lead until the 13:46 mark, when James Madison’s Destiny Jones made a layup to give the Dukes a 41-39 advantage.
The Phoenix would subsequently tie the game twice to keep its alive, but the Dukes would hold the lead for the rest of the contest. Burnett made a layup to pull the Phoenix within two, but it would be too little to late- Elon was forced to foul on the following possession as time expired.
Burnett led the offensive charge for the Phoenix with 18 points on the day, but Elon struggled to shoot effectively, making just 29 percent of its shots from the field in the second half, and going 0-4 from beyond the arc. Elon would make a paltry 20 percent of its shots from beyond the arc in the contest — senior forward Sam Coffer and sophomore guard Essence Baucom both made one.
The loss gives the Phoenix a total record of 19-12 on the season, with a total conference record of 11-7 in its first season as a part of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). James Madison advances to the tournament final to take on Hofstra University at 1 p.m. in Upper Marlboro, Maryland on Mar. 15.