CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Jan. 25, 2009 - Dukes End ODU Streak with Record Performance by Evans JMU 72, Old Dominion 67 It certainly wasn’t your typical Sunday afternoon CAA game at Old Dominion’s Ted Constant Center, although it started off looking that way. ODU scored the game’s first seven points and jumped out to a 14-3 lead. At the 12:15 mark the Monarchs were ahead 17-10. At that point, however, the Dukes scored 11 unanswered points, with Dawn Evans netting nine of them, to pull ahead to a 21-17 advantage with 9:41 to play. JMU never trailed after that point en route to a rare victory by a CAA opponent on the Monarchs’ home floor.
“The crazy thing is, when she lets them go right there, I think they’re going in. I really do,” Brooks said of Evans’ long-range shooting. “And call me crazy because I’m the coach that lets her shoot that shot, but I see her make that shot (every day in practice).”
Nov. 22, 2009 - JMU Downs Virginia Tech JMU 66, Virginia Tech 59 Dawn Evans scored 27 points, including 14 during a 27-9 JMU scoring run to end the game, as the Dukes defeated Virginia Tech 66-59 at the JMU Convocation Center. “We were in control for a good 30 minutes of that 40-minute game,” Tech coach Beth Dunkenberger said in the post-game press conference. “Then unfortunately down the stretch their best player proved why she is one of the best players in the country. She took over. She controlled the offense, she got the ball where she wanted, she got everybody organized and she hit shots. She did what great players do, and I thought that she was the great differencemaker in the game.”
The Dukes’ 72-67 victory in a regionally-televised game ended ODU’s 37-game home winning streak against CAA opponents. It was only the third home loss the Monarchs had suffered to a CAA team in 18 seasons of league play (164-3 record). Evans finished with a Constant Center record 36 points. That surpassed the arena scoring record held by former national Player of the Year Candace Parker of Tennessee, who scored 32 against the Monarchs. It was Evans’ sixth career 30-point game and fifth 30-point game of the year, both team records. “I can’t even sit here and say that I’m wowed because I’ve seen her do it so many times,” said coach Kenny Brooks.
Nov. 18, 2009 - Dukes Open Season with Come-from-Behind Win over Georgetown JMU 79, Georgetown 76 Beating a Big East opponent, which later that season would make it into the national Top 25 polls, isn’t a bad way to start your season.
Kanita Shepherd
Winning after trailing by 16 points made it even sweeter.
Evans had four twopoint field goals and two three-pointers during the final 8:21 and put the Dukes in front to stay, 58-56, with a layup with 1:58 left.
Playing before a season-opening record crowd of 2,530, the Dukes didn’t take their first lead over Georgetown until Kanita Shepherd hit two free throws with 1:16 left to put JMU on top 72-71. Then a three-pointer by Sugar Rodgers put the Hoyas ahead 74-72 with 1:03 to play. However, Dawn Evans then nailed a three with 45.1 seconds on the clock, giving the Dukes a 75-74 lead that they would not surrender. Evans, who finished with a game-high 29 points, scored seven of those in the final minute of the game, and Shepherd ‘s block of a shot by Rodgers with 32 seconds left was a key defensive play in the win.
Tech went in front 28-24 with the final five points of the opening half and led 50-39 with 8:55 left and 54-44 at 7:45 before JMU controlled play the rest of the way.
Kiara Francisco
“She’s a phenomenal player,” Brooks said of Evans. “People (ask) ‘Are you comfortable with her shooting 28 times?’ Absolutely. ‘Are you comfortable with her shooting from the Duke Dog paw?’ Absolutely. Because I’ve never coached a player like that, who has range and the ability to score like that.”
Georgetown led by as many as 16 points in the first half (46-30 at 1:04) and was up by 14 (46-32) at halftime. Evans made five threes, many coming from well beyond the threepoint line.
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Nikki Newman