ODU Women’s Basketball took us on quite a wild ride against Louisiana-Monroe in the Sun Belt Quarterfinals Friday. The Monarchs led by as many as 16 in the second half, but the Warhawks rallied and had a chance to force OT at the final buzzer.
Neither team could gain an edge in the first quarter, trading baskets back and forth. Jordan McLaughlin knocked down a mid range jumper at the buzzer to give ODU a 19-16 edge.
It was a similar story for most of the second quarter until Halima Salat capped an 8-0 Monarch run with back to back threes to end the half. Old Dominion led 38-28 heading into the locker room for halftime.
ODU seemed poised to run away with this game in the third, leading by as many as 16. But Louisiana-Monroe was by no means done and the Warhawks pulled back within 10.
With 4:19 left, ULM tied things up at 58-58 and the Monarchs found themselves in a fight for the continuation of their season.
Old Dominion struggled to convert at the free throw line, knocking down just 11-of-23 for the game. As the Monarchs were about to find out, it’s very difficult to win this time of year when you leave that many points at the line.
Trailing 61-60, Kaye Clark drove the lane and drew a foul and converted both shots from the free throw line. ULM responded with a bucket to retake the lead but McLaughlin quickly took the ball down the court and sunk a driving shot, returning the one point edge to the Monarchs.
Clark committed her fifth and disqualifying foul that sent the Warhawks to the free throw line. They knocked down 1-of-2 and ODU took possession leading 65-64 with just 9.9 seconds remaining.
McLaughlin was fouled immediately on the inbounds and knocked down both shots, stretching the Monarch advantage to 67-64.
ULM got a clean look at the top of the key, but the ball bounced around the rim and out, rebounded by Brenda Fontana.
ODU missed both free throws on the following possession, giving the Warhawks one final second to extend their season. ULM got another open look at the top of the key, but the ball bounced around the rim and out again. The Monarchs survived and advanced 67-64.
Old Dominion was without their leading scorer, En’Dya Buford, who suffered an injury in the regular season finale against JMU. It’s unlikely she will return for the conference tournament.
McLaughlin led the way for ODU with 19 points in her 38 minutes on the floor. Fontana had 15 points and 11 boards to notch a double-double.
Both Clark and Simone Cunningham dealt with reduced minutes due to foul trouble. Clark scored 15 and Cunningham finished with six points and five rebounds over just 9 minutes of action.
Old Dominion will now face top-seeded Marshall on Sunday at 12:30pm (ET). The Herd won both of the regular season matchups by a convincing margin. They knocked off App State 116-74 in their quarterfinal on Friday.
Marshal utilizes a heavy, heavy full court press all game. The Monarchs will need to find a way to consistently break the press and slow the pace of play.
ESPN+ will have the broadcast (hopefully with announcers on site for the semi-final).