ODU (5-16, 1-8) welcomed the Eagles of Georgia Southern (5-16, 5-4) to Chartway Arena Saturday night for a game that came down to the wire. The Monarchs were without leading scorer Vasean Allette who was serving a suspension for “conduct unbecoming of a Monarch,” according to Interim Head Coach Keiran Donohue, but that didn’t stop them from competing with the scrappy team from Georgia. Early in the second half it looked like the Eagles were going to run away with the contest, until 12:30 when ODU strung a run together that would cut the lead to 7, started by a Jason Wade fast-break layup. The Monarchs would cut the lead to 1 with :32 left, but as is the story with this game the Eagles were strong at the foul line and, ultimately, victorious. Below are three takeaways from the matchup.
Free Throw Shooting
We’ve visited this before in multiple matchups, typically because of the disparagement in attempt that did not favor ODU. The disparagement was close, at 28-21. The conversion rate, however, was not as the Eagles shot 85.7% (24-28) to the Monarchs’ 66.7% (14-21) and that success at the line continued down the stretch, keeping ODU at bay. Nate Bradford was a big cog in the free throw wheel as he, himself, logged a perfect 10-10 from the line on his way to a season-high 13-points. Six of those ten free-throws made came with under :50 left in the game as ODU tried to claw their way back. Bradford was one of three Georgia Southern players who logged a perfect night at the line, joined by Avantae Parker and Jamar Franklin. ODU had one such player in the emerging Leeroy Odiahi. Shooting 100% as a team is obviously unlikely, but when you lose by 6-points with seven missed free-throw attempts it’s hard not to look at that stat.
Leeroy Odiahi Stock is Rising
Leeroy logged significant minutes for the second game in a row with 22. He was, again, very impactful when in the game as he snagged 8-rebounds, three of which came on the offensive end giving the Monarchs extra possessions. He scored just two points, but those points came from the free-throw line late in the game as ODU was charging. He was the only Monarch to go perfect from the line and his two made free-throws cut the lead to four. The thing most welcomed by his emergence, though, is his size. At 6’11” the Junior from Ireland offers much needed size inside for a Monarchs team that struggles with rebounding and contesting shots at the rim. I’m very excited to see how he develops over the last 1o games of the regular season.
Jason Wade Appreciation
This season marks my first covering the Men’s Basketball team. Quickly, I fell in love with Jason Wade’s game and the intangible benefits he provides this team. He’s a guy I would go to battle with any day. What I love about him was perfectly summed up by one play last night: The Monarchs are down in the second half, again, and the game is at a crucial moment. We can either fight and try to get back in it or lay down, letting Georgia Southern run away. There’s a loose ball and ODU needs every opportunity they can get if they’re going to come back, so Jason goes flying into the seats for the save. In that moment, the team’s record didn’t matter. The score didn’t matter. His coach suffering a heart attack, only to find out his cancer is back for the fourth time did not matter. All that mattered to Jason in that moment was what his team needed from him, and he was willing to sacrifice everything to deliver. That is the kind of guy Jason is on and off the court, and while most of what he does won’t show up on a stat sheet it is just as, if not more, important.
Hear from Imo Essien and Interim Head Coach Kieran Donohue in Saturday Night’s postgame presser below:
The Monarchs get some time to recover before starting a 3-game road trip in West Virginia to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd. Game is scheduled for 7pm and will stream on ESPN+.