Senior guard Natty Fripp (Oakland, CA) scored a season-high 18 points and three Hofstra players finished in double figures, but it wasn't enough to negate James Madison University's Dawn Evans, who hit the game-winning three-pointer in overtime to hand the Pride a 71-68 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) loss Sunday afternoon at the Mack Sports Complex.

Evans nearly provided half her team's offense, scoring a game-high 35 points. The last of her five three-pointers dropped Hofstra to 3-1 in overtime games this season. Junior center Jess Fuller (Queens, NY) added 13 points and five rebounds and senior guard Niki Williams (Pittsburgh, PA) contributed 11 points and hit a clutch shot late in the second half to help force overtime.

Hofstra committed a season-low nine turnovers yet still fell to 12-8 and 4-5 against the conference. Evans, the reigning CAA Player of the Week, entered the game the leading scorer in Division I, averaging 24.3 points. The sophomore guard scored 16 of her points in the second half, negating the Pride's comeback attempt. James Madison, which entered the contest in a three-way tie for first place in the CAA, improved to 14-6 and 7-2.

Junior guard Sam Brigham (Simsbury, CT) gave the Pride a chance to complete the come-from-behind win, posting a layup to tie it at 68 with 1:56 left in the extra session. On the other end, Sarah Williams collected an offensive rebound off a missed three and found Evans on the left wing. She buried the shot with 1:28 left, and the Dukes forced two Hofstra misses from beyond on the arc during the last possession to win for the 11th time in 13 games.

Brigham finished with nine points and freshman forward Joelle Connelly (Arcade, NY) recorded 11 rebounds and fell just two points shy of her fifth double-double. No other JMU players besides Evans scored in double figures.

The Pride went down as much as nine points in the second half before pulling even at three different junctures. Williams connected on a top-of-the-key jumper to tie it at 60 with 1:21 left. It looked like James Madison would avert overtime when Lauren Jimenez drew a foul driving inside, hitting one of two free throws for a 61-60 lead with 38 seconds left.

That play looked like the game-winner when Fripp's inside pass to Fuller skipped away out-of-bounds with 26.7 seconds left. Fripp atoned for that mistake, stealing JMU's mid-court in-bounds pass and drawing a foul with 14.6 left. The senior guard missed first free throw but hit the second to make it a 61-all contest. Evans' desperation shot at the buzzer was blocked, forcing the extra session.

The Pride knotted the score almost five minutes before Niki Williams' shot when Fuller fronted her defender and took a great inside pass from Fripp for a lay-in that tied it at 51 with 6:42 remaining. Just 19 seconds later, the Dukes took back the momentum thanks to Evans, who buried a jump shot. On the inbounds attempt, Nina Uqdah stole the pass and Evans buried her fourth three-pointer to give the Dukes a 56-51 lead.

Fuller and Connelly entered the contest ranked 1-2 in the conference for field goal percentage, but both picked up two fouls less than four minutes in as the Pride went down 17-7. JMU capitalized on the foul trouble, going on a 10-0 run while holding Hofstra to 3-17 shooting from the floor at the start.

Sarah Williams drained consecutive three-pointers and Evans finished a fast-break initiated by Jimenez's rebound and outlet pass, opening a 17-7 advantage for the double-digit lead with 13:09 left.

The Pride responded immediately with its own 10-0 run punctuated by Fripp's three-pointer from the right wing to tie at 17 with 7:48 left before halftime. 

With two of the team's low-post threats forced to the bench, Fripp stepped up and led the Pride offense, scoring 10 first half points. Evans was even better for the Dukes, finding space to operate on the perimeter while also generating scoring chances off drives, scoring 19 points in the opening 20 minutes to key JMU to a 38-29 lead at the break.

Hofstra even pulled ahead, 23-22, before Evans scored eight points alone in the final five minutes. She hit two of her three treys in that span, adding two free throws as the visitors carried a nine-point lead into intermission.

The Pride will look to get back on the winning track Thursday when it hosts Delaware in a conference tilt. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

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