By Christian Heimall, Staff Writer
On Sunday, most New Yorkers will be priming themselves for the match up between the newly formed duo of Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire against King James and the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden.
However, there is another Sunday matinee taking place that many should keep an eye on. The James Madison Dukes women's basketball team, who sit in first place in the Colonial Athletic Association, will visit the Hofstra Pride in the last scheduled home game for the Pride at 2 P.M. at the Mack Sports Complex.
Despite JMU (21-6, 14-1 CAA) having twice as many conference wins as the Pride (15-11, 7-8 CAA); the Pride is playing at the top of its game.
"They don't need a pat on their backs or any moral victories," Hofstra head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey said after Hofstra's 79-77 loss to Old Dominion last Sunday. "They just need to know that [they] are playing very well right now."
Playing well is something the Pride has shown in flashes during the conference stretch, but over the last two weeks it has been consistent in its output. A road loss to VCU (which may have been different if freshman forward Shante Evans did not foul out), a win at Northeastern and a loss to ODU, one of the perennial powers in the CAA, are strong confidence builders late in this season.
"If we finish out strong with these last few games we'd be one game shy of where we were last year," Kilburn-Steveskey said in the CAA weekly teleconference on Tuesday. "We're playing really well right now, but we aren't getting the rewards."
The Dukes have won 12 consecutive games heading into Thursday night's battle at Georgia State and the program has now won 20 or more games in six consecutive seasons.
"It means a lot to our program, not just for this current, but for the players who laid down the foundation for this group," JMU head coach Kenny Brooks said. "To have that kind of staying power atop such a great conference, I'm very proud of what we've accomplished."
That foundation is being built upon star guard Dawn Evans. The senior is leading the nation with 23.9 points per game. The Clarksville, TN native is also fifth in the CAA in assists per game, averaging 4.3, as she leads a squad that is also continuing to improve their play on the court.
"We had some people banged up earlier on the season, mainly Jalissa Taylor," Brooks said. "But to have her back, as well as a healthy Lauren Jiminez really improves our team from where we were before CAA play."
Jiminez and Taylor are a dynamic threat in the paint with each sitting in the top ten in the conference in rebounding. The task of defending these two will fall on the youth duo of Evans and freshman Anma Onyeuku. Both of those players will be key if the Pride is to upset a squad that has been ranked in the top 25 each of the last two seasons and are the defending CAA Champions.
While the battle on the court will be intense, these two teams have played two overtime contests in each of their last three meetings, the battle of the court will be just as hard nosed between two coaches who know each other very well.
Brooks gave Kilburn-Steveskey her first top-assistant job, which led to her current position. Meanwhile it was Kilburn-Steveskey who taught Brooks, a former men's basketball assistant coach, how to lead female college players.
"For that I will always be grateful of her," said Brooks. "Because of our relationship she is probably my best friend in this business."
That friendship however will cease come 2 P.M. on Sunday when they meet for the first time this season. Sunday will also be senior day for the Pride as it honors soon to be graduates in guard Aamira Terry and forward Isoken Uzamere.
Terry has been a defensive stopper in her time and a mainstay on the court.
"Aamira has been one of those self-made players, always finding away to get on the floor," said Kilburn Steveskey of Terry who missed some games due to illness. "I think this last game against ODU was the first time I saw her back."
Meanwhile, Uzamere has been a poster child for the outgoing, free-spirited personality of the program.
"Isoken has always been the emotional and the verbal leader and a great spark for our team," Kilburn-Steveskey commented. "Even though she hasn't been able to contribute as much as she wants on the court, she's contributed so much to this program off the court."
A win against the Dukes on Sunday could be a motivating factor heading into the CAA Tournament and a huge boost of confidence to a team that has yet to meet its own expectations as well as the expectations of others.
"I'd rather be playing the best going into the conference tournament," said Kilburn-Steveskey regarding her team's final stretch. "In order to beat the best we have to play our best and that's where we are."