Dec. 6, 2001
Norfolk, VA -- Keyed by junior guard Okeisha Howard's (Va. Beach, VA) game-tying shot with .05 left in regulation, the 25th-ranked Old Dominion women's basketball team surged past #21 Penn State in overtime, 84-80. The Lady Monarchs improve to .500 with the win to stand at a 3-3 mark, while Penn State falls to 4-3 on the year.
In a wild game that featured 18 ties and 17 lead changes, the Lady Monarchs were finally able to get the upper hand on the Lady Lions, outscoring them 11-7 in the extra session thanks to seven points from Lucienne Berthieu (Rennes, France) and two key free-throws by junior guard Alli Spence (Lafayette, CO). Penn State nearly stole the game again as time expired, stealing a inbounds pass from ODU with seven seconds left and converting to make it a 82-80 game. Berthieu finally ended the affair by collecting a key rebound and putting in her final bucket of the night to send the Lady Monarchs to victory, 84-80.
Old Dominion and Penn State were evenly matched from the floor as both the Lady Lions and the Lady Monarchs connected on 45 percent of their shots, however Old Dominion controlled the boards the entire night out-rebounding the Lady Lions 52-31.
It was the Lady Monarchs' first win over a Top 25 opponent this season, after falling to #24 North Carolina and #8/9 North Carolina State in their previous two outings.
Penn State's Kelly Mazzante led all scorers with 37 points, a new season-high and just one short of her career best. Rashana Barnes tallied her first double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 boards. Barnes was also a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Katrena Carr came off the bench to net 11 points in her first game back from injury.
In all, five Lady Monarchs reached double digit scoring numbers. The Lady Monarchs had two players register double-double performances. Hamchetou Maiga (Bamako, Mali) logged a new season-high in points (16) and rebounds (10), while Berthieu tied her career-high in rebounds (17) and season-high in points (16). Howard netted 15 points, while Monique Coker (Bronx, NY) and Sharron Francis (West Lanham Hills, MD) added 11 and 10 points respectively off the bench.
Old Dominion has over a week to rest as the team's next game is on Friday, December 14th against Seton Hall, ending a three-game home stand at the Fieldhouse.