last time these two dealership teams saw each other was the caa finals. this coach, it's a different year. the lady rams up with a challenge of remaining number one. let's kick it off and find out together as the james madison dukes face vcu.

welcome inside the center for tonight's showdown between the dukes and vcu rams high john casselberry along with christie winter. great to have you with us. starting the second halftime caa's regular season and we're now in february and march madness is right around the corner. >> that's my favorite time-out year. this is a great game. it implements post-season play. jmu is 5-0. a tremendous chance to hold court. >> tide for the top spot in the league. they have leadership from d'andra moss. >> he had been one of 7 from 3 before hitting a game winning

three to defeat delves 60-59 on january 21 and kita waller, she's 35 points shy of making 1000 points with her career with the games. he's been averaging 31.5 points in the last few games. she earnedco k player of the week. >> james madison the best overall record in the caa. they feature a tremendous player in dawn evans. >> dawn evans is a phenomenally unique player for james madison. she can do it inside and outside where she leads the country in three-points scored. she's second in the country for scoring. she's also a preseason all american candidate for national players of the year award. a fantastic player in dawn evans and you're definitely going to see one of women's basketball best. >> as great as she's been she

neds help. >> she's got that help and sarah williams averaging 10 points and 33 steals on the season and tarik hislop is averaging 30 minutes a game as a freshman. >> find out what happens tonight right after this from comcast sportsnet. anncr vo: with the new geico glovebox app...

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>> john: welcome back. john castleberry with kristine mial. good to have you with us. it's going to be an important basketball game. no question about that. >> christie: no question about that. absolutely right. because james madison in fourth place but they are sitting hind three first place team. >> john: here's the starting layup.

dawn evans and hislop and williams and newman and kenny brooks has done a great job. now his eighth year in charge. lane and patterson along with wallace, moss and courtney on that front line. beth cunningham in her 7th year in charge of richmond. >> christie: these she's done a tremendous job with the rams. >> john: now it's time for our keys to the game. >> christie: the key for vcu. if they can get defensive pressure. they had three double figure scores all season long. james needs control the board.

james madison is out rebounding 6 per game. they need scorer and sore score often. guards have been a huge part of the offensive success for the dukes. >> john: we are just about set to go. and again, vcu. and james madison two games in the loss column. waller will bring it up. >> christie: jimenezz inside. early on defense. >> john: and they get it. >> christie: that was rather easy. one-on-one isolate isolation down in the lane. she's not going to miss any of those. >> john: jimenez one of the

back door play and well l defended by waller. moss moss again. the lady rams. >> christie: from the outside to 12 feet. it's easy for her. vcu and a man-to-man. play payclose attention to dawn evans. >> john: shot clock number 10, williams. on the attack and a nice inside, jimenez finishes. >> christie: quay down through the lane and that was a great dive inside. >> john: team madison with a significant advantage in the overall series but vcu won 5 of the last six.

one they didn't win was the semi-final last season. >> christie: that's the one that counts. forget the tweep sweep of james madison. that want that sweep. >> john: a great block. that was late in the play. she'll get it up and get it to moss. this time she can't get it to go down. offensive rebound. >> christie: moss is shooting 37% from three. that was a great opportunity for her to get the shot up. james madison can't allow the second chance opportunities for vcu. >> john: post team foul. courtney at the line. >> christie: that was a rebound from the missed 3. you

get two and three extra shots at the basket. >> john: williams runs down the rebound. >> christie: vcu can force it away from dawn evans. i know it's tough to do. >> john: they have done a great job. short on that first drive. an offensive rebound for the dukes. >> christie: a lot of times the point guards offensively. >> john: williams inside. hislop the offensive rebound. >> christie: that's the same

thing going for both teams allowing second and third chance opportunities and going to the line because television. not good enough to bump someone. you have to move someone out of the way when yearrebounding the ball. >> john: up to the line. >> christie: she wants the ball. averaging 11 points on the season. >> john: 66% free throw shooting. and she got one out of two. waller is attacked. and the three ball on the way well short and now hislop comes out. >> christie: on that defensive possession for james madison, they did not rotate to the baseline. when you see the ball coming at the rim from the baseline that defense needs rotate to the ball and everybody is like a wheel to the ball. >> john: the foul was on ebony

patterson. williams. >> christie: . >> john: taken away nicely by moss. >> christie: looks like taylor couldn't find an opportunity to shoot it. >> john: patterson. lady dukes pushing it quickly. taylor lost it, got back. forced it up and got the roll. >> christie: taylor taking her time. the position, defense sitting straight behind. >> john: they are reallied aboutying up for position in the paint. moss up again. williams has the rebound for jmu. >> christie: off the baseline. williams on the way and they are going to call the block. it's going to go against vcu's

wallace.

i think the thing that's difficult with dawn, being a point guard she has the ball in her hands a big pastor time. it's very difficult to try to limit her touches because she does a great job of getting the ball and running the team. we have to understand where help needs to be. certainly jennifer lane is going to be starting doing a great job of contain her and make her work for everything she gets. get her to take less shots and poor shots and take shots that's not in the flow of the offense and hopefully her shooting percentage goes down. >> john: so far they have done a good job of doing that. but it's a long game. she's a great play hare. she's going to get her points. >> christie: bebe ryan said evans was too much. >> john: a record in the new

arena. free-throw line. james madison got a chance to tie or perhaps take the lead. >> christie: that man-to-man at vcu. >> john: not even close. waller up the floor. evans may have changed the shot now evans trys to answer and she's got her first bucket of the night. >> christie: hedges right there and that shot was contested. that's a great shot. >> john: ball game tied at 9. waller to lane. >> christie: vcu looked a little stagnant offensively. they are moving the ball but

not themselves. >> john: hustle for the ball. stay with it. it will go against vcu. perseverance pays off. she kept plugging away. >> christie: the last do you mean possessions james madison had

y. no body. get the call too togo her way. angle on defense. giving at least two or three irvs and continue to turn the corner on the baseline. >> john: moss as the foul. run by the dukes. >> christie: gottoo take a seat. >> john: within one. >> christie: they have to pick up their defensive intensity. that's what they hang their hat on at the end of the day. they scored 23 turnover from us opponents per game.

>> john: this time hold and will go the other way. >> christie: tied up. >> john: full court pressure. >> christie: thatt 2-2-1. that's what happens when you try and toss it over that line. that has to be a pinpoint pass. that's what happened in that turnover. that's what vcu does to other teams. james madison turned the table. >> john: evans penetrates. loses it and it will stay with the dukes. >> christie: you know she's going to get shots up by any means necessary. looks like she forced that one. >> john: inbounds. waller this has for the rams.

>> christie: defensive pressure has to pick up. 23.5 turnovers. >> john: lane threw it up and got it to go. >> christie: look at that wrist. >> john: jennifer lane, first field goal puts vcu back on top. nice defense by perry. waller push its up for vcu. >> christie: that's what vcu needs to do. score after the turnovers. >> john: perry high off the glass. rebound. make it seven. >> christie: one more. >> john: williams back on the

floor for jmu. she won't be long. >> christie: probably get a quick dip and settle her mind. the last couple shots she took were a little forced. she needs get into the offense. >> john: i got a 1-3 so far on the night. >> christie: doing a better job now moving off the ball. movingy themselves to the open spot. >> john: waller on the attack. foul. >> christie: that's what you need to do. move the ball and then attack. you can't go right into defensive pressure. you have to make that defense work and attack

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