URBANA, Ohio – Tyra James (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods HS) recorded her second triple-double and broke the women's basketball single-season scoring record 15 years to the day in Urbana's 123-98 victory over West Virginia State on Wednesday night.
James finished with 29 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the way, running her season points total to 592 while passing former Blue Knight standout Chemika Pittman's record of 582. Pittman previously broke the record on Feb. 19, 2005.
James also produced a triple-double back in November and is the second player in Division II to record a pair of triple-doubles this season.
Urbana's 123 points are a new program record for most points scored against an MEC opponent. The Blue Knights surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time in 62 games.
Sylvia Hudson had 24 points on perfect shooting (11-11) while
Bailey Draughn finished with a career-high 23 points.
Weston Minnich went 3 for 3 from beyond the arc and recorded 11 points while
Sa'Dera Johnson chipped in with 10.
Urbana (16-9, 12-7 MEC) shot a blistering 59 percent overall and topped 60 percent in each of the first three quarters.
The Blue Knights raced out to a 17-2 lead and eventually built a 32-11 advantage at the end of the first. Draughn and Hudson combined for 17 points during the opening frame.
Urbana's lead swelled to as much as 44-15 in the second quarter while coasting out to a 30-point halftime margin of 61-31. UU shot 57 percent (8-14) from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes.
Then, the Blue Knights kept their foot on the gas and eventually topped 100 points in the third. A three from
Kami McEldowney put Urbana ahead 101-67 entering the final period.
WVSU (9-16, 7-12 MEC) was led by Charity Shears with 31 points and Chloe Cheresne with 22. The Yellow Jackets, who were playing short-handed with eight active players, shot just 37 percent overall.
With the victory, Urbana avenged a 35-point road loss to West Virginia State earlier this season.
UP NEXT: Urbana travels to the University of Charleston (20-5, 15-4 MEC) for Saturday's 2 p.m. matchup. The Golden Eagles had an eight-game win streak snapped in Wednesday's 74-67 loss at Notre Dame College.
