HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Coastal Carolina women's basketball team fell 77-56 in the Chanticleer's Sun Belt Conference opener to the James Madison Dukes in Harrisonburg, Va., on Thursday afternoon. With the loss, Coastal falls to 5-7 overall and 0-1 in conference action, while the Dukes improved to 11-2 on the year and 1-0 in SBC play with the win.
 
CCU was led by graduate student Miriam Recarte with 16 points, while Deaja Richardson and Aja Blount totaled 15 and 13 points, respectively. The 13 points by Blount moved the Northampton, Pa., native into second place on the all-time scoring listas she passed former Chant Sherry Barnhill (1979-82).
 
Despite losing the rebounding battle 47-41, the Chanticleers grabbed 28 defensive rebounds. Arin Freeman, Blount, and Recarte each grabbed eight rebounds apiece. Defensively, CCU forced 14 turnovers while blocking two shots.
 
James Madison was led by Kiki Jefferson who led four Dukes in double-digit scoring with a game-high 20 points. Jamia Hazell, Caroline Germond, and Ksenila Kozlova totaled 14, 10, and 10 points, respectively, for JMU. Jefferson finished with a double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds and just missed a triple-double with eight assists.
 
Coastal took an early lead after winning the opening tip-off, as Freeman put back a missed jump shot by Anaya Barney (2 points) at 2-0 only to see James Madison take the lead with back-to-back three-pointers for the 6-2 advantage. After both teams traded baskets, CCU's Recarte cut the deficit to one at 8-7 with the first of her four three-point jump shots.
 
However, the homestanding Dukes pushed ahead at 13-7 with a 5-0 burst just to see the visitors from Conway, S.C., tie it up as the duo of Richardson and Recarte connected on back-to-back three pointers from long range. JMU closed out the first quarter scoring with a second 5-0 surge as Jefferson made a driving layup and a three-pointer of her own to give the home team an 18-13 lead at the end of the first period.
 
The Dukes continued its scoring run with a 5-0 spot to begin the second quarter for a 23-13 lead, before Coastal's Recarte made her third three-point jump shot to answer the Dukes 10-0 run. After JMU took a 25-19 advantage on a Kozlova hook shot, Coastal made it 25-19 as Recarte hit her fourth and final three-point jump shot of the game.
 
Coastal's leading scorer Blount recorded her first points of the contest halfway through the second period as the graduate student hit a pair of free throws, which was followed by a Richardson three-pointer to pull the Chants to within five at 29-24 with just over three minutes left in the first half.
 
However, James Madison increased its lead to 33-24 with an 8-0 burst before CCU's Barney hit a running jumper in the paint. Both teams traded three-pointers before Jefferson scored the final first half bucket for JMU and Richardson hit a long-range bomb to end the scoring for Coastal.
 
The third quarter opened with a three-pointer by the home team, which was answered by a pair of baskets by Freeman and Recarte as the Chants trailed 43-33. After the Dukes extended their lead to 16 at 52-36, Coastal Carolina fought back to cut the lead to eight at 54-46, sparked by back-to-back Blount layups and capped by an Amaya Adams layup. JMU closed the third quarter with the final four points to take a 58-46 advantage with 10 minutes left to play.
 
The Chanticleers trailed by 10 at 60-50 after a Richardson layup and a pair of free throws by Blount only to see the Dukes take a 21-point lead with a 13-2 burst at 73-52. Both teams traded a pair of baskets for the final margin of 77-56, as Helena Delaruelle forced a turnover and hit a layup for the final points of the game.
 
Coastal Carolina will remain on the road as the Chanticleers will travel to Lafayette, La., to take on the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns on Saturday, Dec. 31, at the Cajundome. The opening tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
 
For complete coverage of CCU women's basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.