Old Dominion (6-4) at Howard (6-5)
Game Info – Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 12 p.m.
Location – Burr Gymnasium (Washington, D.C.)
Watch – ESPN+
Listen – ESPN Radio 94.1
Live Stats – Click Here
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NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women's basketball is headed to the nation’s capital this Tuesday for a 12 p.m. meeting with Howard inside Burr Gymnasium.
An Education Day game for the Bison, Tuesday’s contest will be streamed on ESPN+ while Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry will cover the action on ESPN Radio 94.1. Fans can also follow along with live stats.
The Series
Old Dominion and Howard have met two times previously with the Monarchs holding a 2-0 advantage in the series. ODU hosted HU for an Education Day game on Dec. 3, 2014 and secured a 75-54 victory in front of a crowd of 8,472. Four Monarchs scored in double figures, led by a 17-point performance from Jennie Simms. Destinee Young turned in a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double, Odegua Oigbokie also finished with 12 points, and Chelisa Painter chipped in 11 points.
ODU then played at HU on Dec. 15, 2015 and defeated the Bison, 83-64 to become the fourth program in NCAA Division I history to reach 1,000 wins, joining the likes of Tennessee, Louisiana Tech and James Madison. Young scored 17 points with 11 boards and four blocks while GiGi Smith and Annika Holopainen also netted 17 points each.
About ODU
After falling behind 11-2 to start Sunday’s Anne Donovan Classic against East Carolina, the Monarchs (6-4) found themselves leading 48-41 with just over four minutes to play in the fourth quarter. ECU’s Amiya Joyner made both of her free throws with seven seconds left to knot the game at 53-53 and later scored a layup with six seconds remaining in overtime to key a 59-58 victory for the visiting Pirates. En’Dya Buford scored a season-high 21 points with a new career best of 14 rebounds to pace ODU, and Simaru Fields followed with a season best of 14 points.
Buford and Fields pace ODU’s offense with 12.2 and 9.6 points per game, respectively. The pair have also combined to make 26 of the team’s 44 made three-pointers this season. Buford also owns the team highs in assists (35) and steals (22) and currently ranks second in the Sun Belt with 42 made free throws and 56 free-throw attempts. On the glass, Buford is grabbing 6.0 rebounds per outing, followed by Mikayla Brown (5.8 ppg) with 5.6 rpg and Simone Cunningham (7.0 ppg) with 5.4. Mariah Clayton has recorded seven blocks and is scoring 6.5 ppg.
As a team, ODU enters Tuesday’s game shooting 34.4% from the field, including 23.8% from beyond the arc, and 64.9% at the free-throw line. The Monarchs score 60.2 ppg while allowing 58.9 for a +1.3 scoring margin. As of Monday, the team ranks fourth nationally in three-point percentage defense (21.6) and 10th in offensive rebounds per game (17.5). ODU is also the Sun Belt leader in field goal percentage defense (36.3) and is second in the league in scoring defense and rebounds per game (58.9).
The most recent NET rankings have the Monarchs listed 134th. ODU was receiving votes in last week’s CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top 25 Poll, which is released each Tuesday night.
About Howard
The Bison (6-5) snapped a three-game losing streak last Friday with a 61-54 home win over Army. Zennia Thomas tallied 19 points, scoring 11 in the second half, while Saniyah King ended up with 14 points and Tyana Walker had 11.
HU has two players averaging double-digit scoring: Destiny Howell nets 15.1 ppg and Thomas is next at 10.3 ppg. Howell represents the deep threat for the Bison with 23 threes made and ranks 25th in the country with 76 three-point attempts. Thomas grabs 7.4 rpg, followed by Howell at 4.4. King is third in scoring with 9.3 ppg and ranks 25th in DI with 58 assists. She also leads the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with 5.3 assists per game. Nile Miller (4.1 ppg) owns 20 steals with eight blocks and Howell is right behind her with seven blocks.
Howard is shooting a combined 38.1% from the floor, 25.2% from distance, and 61.5% at the line. The Bison score 60.6 ppg, allow 62.5, and own a -1.8 scoring margin, which ranks second in the MEAC. HU is also second in its conference in field goal percentage defense (36.2), three-point attempts per game (19.5), rebounds per game (38.36), defensive rebounds per game (26.0), blocks per game (3.8), and turnovers per game (14.6).
The MEAC’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll had the Bison picked to finish tied for first alongside Norfolk State. Walker and Howell were named to the conference’s Preseason First Team, Kaiya Creek (6.5 ppg) landed on the Second Team, and Miller earned a spot on the Third Team. So far this season, King has been voted MEAC Rookie of the Week four times (Nov. 11, Nov. 25, Dec. 2 and Dec. 16) while Howell was selected Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 2. HU is listed 196th in the latest NET rankings.
The Bison are led by Head Coach Tiesha “Ty” Grace, who is in her 10th season with the program. A 1999 graduate of New Haven, she led the Chargers to a pair of NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and is one of only two players to eclipse 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Grace also served as an assistant coach to Anne Donovan at Seton Hall.
Up Next
ODU’s final game before the holiday break will be this Sunday, Dec. 22 when the Monarchs host Delaware for a 2 p.m. tip at Chartway Arena.