Dec. 1, 2001
Norfolk, VA-The Old Dominion University men's basketball team used a balanced offense and timely shooting in the second half to defeat the University of Illinois-Chicago this evening, 71-65. The Monarchs are now 4-1 while UIC falls to 3-2 on the season.
The Flames held the upper hand in the first half, shooting .545 to take a 32-29 lead into the locker room. UIC reserves Kardos Jordan and Armond Williams combined for 14 points as the Flames overtook the Monarchs late in the period.
Old Dominion came alive in the second, keyed by a strong performance by junior Ricardo Marsh (Mebane, NC). Marsh was perfect from the field in the second-half, and scored 11 straight points for the Monarchs at one point as Old Dominion ran out to an 59-48 lead. UIC's Jon Schneiderman almost brought the Flames back, burying three three-pointers in the game's final minutes as ODU's lead shrank to three points with 21 seconds remaining. Senior Pierre Greene (Chicago, IL) and freshman Kiah Thomas (Norfolk, VA) iced the game with free throws, allowing the Monarchs to escape with their fourth win of the season.
ODU shot .667 in the second half and hit on fifty percent of their three-pointers. For the game the Monarchs shot .479 while UIC shot .489. The Flames also held a 29-27 advantage in rebounds, but were again outdone in the second by ODU, who held a 16-8 advantage during that time frame.
The Monarchs were led by Marsh, who tallied a game-high 16 points. Junior Rasheed Wright put in 12 points with three rebounds and two assists, and Pierre Greene scored 14 and hauled in six rebounds. Sophomore guard Troy Nance (Va. Beach, VA) tallied eleven points and handed out seven assists.
Forward Cedric Banks led UIC with 13 points, while center Thor Solverson and guard Jon Scneiderman each put in eleven points.
The Monarchs will return to action on Wednesday, December 5th. The game will be televised live by Comcast Sports.