Dukes attempt to find rhythm against Tigers

Tonight, the JMU women’s basketball team will attempt a feat it hasn’t accomplished in a month – winning two in a row.

"We’re close to that," JMU coach Kenny Brooks said. "We’ve had three games that could’ve gone either way, and five out of our next seven are at home."

The last time the Dukes won two in a row was Dec. 28. However,those two were at the back end of a seven-game winning streak that ended the following day in a 98-52 loss to the University of Virginia Dec. 29.

"We’re still trying to get back into the rhythm we were in early," Brooks said. "Now, we are trying to get comfortable with our roles and what positions people are playing."

One thing the Dukes haven’t been comfortable with is their health. Of late, the squad has been a victim of flu season — especially sophomore center Meredith Alexis.

"The big thing bothering us is that the flu is running through the team," Brooks said. "Meredith is still 70/75 percent, but she rooms with Andrea [Benvenuto], who got sick at halftime during the Wilmington game, so we had to limit her minutes.

"Shirley McCall is also battling a cold."

Tonight, the Dukes play host to Towson University in a Colonial Athletic Association matchup. Towson currently claims fourth place in the CAA behind the University of Delaware (7-0, 14-2), Old Dominion University (5-1, 9-6) and Drexel University (4-2, 10-5). JMU (3-4, 9-6) is sixth place behind George Mason University (4-3, 8-8).

JMU and Towson have played seven common opponents — six of which were CAA teams. Both squads lost to Old Dominion and Drexel — however, Towson defeated Virginia Commonwealth University, GMU and Hofstra University — all teams that beat JMU.

"That doesn’t mean a thing," Brooks said. "It’s going to be a totally different game. It’s just a matter of what team shows up and plays."

Some would call the Tiger’s play a surprise. Towson was picked to finish last in the CAA, but now boast an overall record of 11-7, including a 4-3 mark in conference. Brooks is not included in the category of "some."

"A lot of people are calling them surprise," Brooks said. "I picked them to finish fourth or fifth, and Joe Mathews is really good coach. We played them three times last year and beat them all three times, but it got increasingly closer each time."

This year, Towson is doing it with transfers, raiding the Big East and procuring players from Villanova University, Syracuse University and Virginia Tech — who joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in July. The Tigers picked up guard Brandi Harris from the Wildcats, forward Tierra Jackson from the Orange and guard Kacy O’Brien from the Hokies.

Jackson only became eligible Dec. 18, after sitting out a year due to an NCAA regulation that stipulates a player sit out a season after transferring to a Division I program.

So far Jackson has played in 11 of the Tigers’ 18 games and is averaging 13.3 a game, good enough for the team lead.

"They have lots of transfers and [Mathews] has sprinkled in some recruits and it worked out," Brooks said. "It’s not a surprise to me that they are sitting where they are."

Tonight at the Convocation Center, JMU will aim to sit the Tigers a bit lower. Tipoff is 7 p.m.