Old Dominion Women’s Basketball (21-7, 12-5 SBC) rallied from a ten point first quarter deficit on the way to a 61-54 victory Tuesday night. The Monarchs have won nine of their last eleven games and clinch at least the #4 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament.
ODU wraps up the regular season on Friday with a 6:30pm matchup against James Madison. A Monarch win would give them the #3 seed but there is a pathway to take the #2 seed if Troy loses their final two games. Friday will also be Senior Night for nine Monarchs.
Tuesday against the Eagles did not start well for ODU. The offense struggled to get in rhythm and Georgia Southern took advantage of run outs and their size to jump ahead 21-11 at the end of the first quarter. ODU shot just 29.4% while GSU knocked down 58.8% and held a 15-7 edge on the boards.
The Monarchs flipped the script in the second quarter, adjusting to the Eagles’ zone by attacking the basket instead of settling for outside shots. Defensively ODU got physical in the post, challenging the much taller Georgia Southern players, denying passes and swarming their bigs with double teams.
When the dust settled, the Monarchs had held the Eagles to just six points in the second quarter and cut their lead to 27-26.
The third quarter was a slugfest with physical play and the officials were letting them play for the most part. A back and forth battle led to ODU tying the game heading into the final frame.
Both teams knocked down big shots in the fourth quarter, trading the lead back and forth until the 3:10 mark. En’Dya Buford, who led all scorers with 20 points, grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in to put ODU ahead 54-52.
Buford’s put back sparked a 9-2 run for the Monarchs to end the game, thanks in large part to the suffocating defense we’ve seen ODU employ throughout the season.
Kaye Clark’s steal and fast break feed to Buford for a layup with 1:02 left was the dagger and the Monarchs locked up the win 61-54.
Buford added eight rebounds, five assists and four steals to her 20 points. Jordan McLaughlin joined her in double figures with 10 points, nine boards and five assists.
As a team, the Monarchs had 14 steals and caused the Eagles to commit 26 turnovers to their 12. ODU takes the game despite being outrebounded 57-45.
Make your way over to Chartway Arena on Friday to support ODU’s seniors and cheer them on against JMU. The Monarchs are looking to end a nine game losing streak to the Dukes and expand their all-time series lead which stands at 52-28. Tip-off is 6:30pm.