Senior sets tone for JMU

By Tim O’Keefe, contributing writer
Posted on November 12, 2007

Trailing 41-38 at halftime to Harvard, JMU looked little like its NCAA tournament squad, with only one returning starter and a cold shooting start.

But the second half was a different story. Led by senior guard Tamera Young’s 30 points, JMU outscored Harvard 51-32 in the half to take an 89-73 win in its season and home opener.

“We showed a lot of heart today,” JMU coach Kenny Brooks said. “This was the most nervous I have been before a game because I did not know how our young team would respond to a tough Harvard team.”

JMU shot 29 percent from the field in the first half compared to 56 percent in the second half. The Dukes counterbalanced their poor shooting by shooting 24 free throws, compared to Harvard’s six. Even with a slow start, JMU found a reason for hope in the second half.

“I was definitely encouraging to be only down three after how poorly we were playing in the first half,” said junior guard/forward Kisha Stokes, who added 10 points and 16 rebounds. “We just picked up the pace and started making shots.”

Freshman point guard Dawn Evans tallied 22 points including three momentum-changing 3-pointers in the second half, as well as tallying six assists. Freshman guard Courtney Hammer came in late and scored 10 points in the last 10 minutes. Brooks was pleased with what he saw from his freshman guards.

“I have been grooming Dawn for this role ever since I recruited her, and she stepped up,” said Brooks. “Courtney is our little energizer bunny.”

Harvard came in as the favorite to win the Ivy League after making an NCAA tournament appearance last year. The Crimson struggled though to match the Dukes’ athleticism.

“Their system and strategy was smart,” said Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. “With their athletic team, we had a hard time stopping their slashing to the hoop and rebounding.”

Emotion played a large role in the second-half resurgence. Part of that comes from Brooks’ philosophy.

“Almost every day in practice, coach Brooks says that emotion accounts for eight points every game,” said Tamera Young.

Young was the catalyst for emotional play. From holding her follow-through after a 3-pointer to bobbing her head after an assist to clapping her hands after the Dukes forced a turnover, her role was much larger than simply scoring.

“I just had a long talk with Tamera this morning about how she is our emotional leader,” Brooks said. “It is the type of emotion that means getting in opponents face, but the emotion that gets the team fired up.”

JMU travels to a tough Bucknell environment Tuesday. With only one starter returning from last year’s squad, an opening win was a big first step.

“I know we are going to have a good team this year,” Brooks said. “It is only a matter of time how fast we become that team.”