Nov. 14, 2003
BOULDER, CO -- Junior guard Shareese Grant (Va. Beach, VA) came off the Lady Monarch bench to score 16 points, but the Old Dominion University women's basketball team fell, 67-84 in its season opener to #20 Colorado in the WBCA Preseason Classic. Old Dominion will play #22 Auburn, the defending WNIT Champions, in the consolation bracket tomorrow at 8:15 (EST).
Senior forward Monique Coker was the other Lady Monarch in double figures with 15 points.
Colorado's Emily Waner poured in 17 points to lead the Golden Buffaloes with 17, including a 5-of-9 performance from beyond the arc. Freshman Angela Brown (Albany, Kentucky) and senior Cassie Calwell (Durham, NC) limited Colorado's star center Tera Bjorklund to 10 points from the field, but Bjorklund netted six from the line to end the night with 16. All together, four Buffaloes ended the night with double figures.
Coker hit a jmuper with 16:57 remaining in the first to give Old Dominion a 7-5 lead, but it would be the last the Lady Monarchs would lead in the game. After going up by as many as nine, freshman Sherida Triggs (Norcross, GA) converted a lay-up to pull the Lady Monarchs within four with 8:27 on the clock. However, Colorado would go up by as many as 13 late in the first half and end the opening period up 45-35.
The Lady Monarchs closed with six in the opening minutes of the second half. Senior Max Nhassengo stole a Colorado pass and drove to the basket closing the gap to 45-39, but the Golden Buffaloes tempo would control the game the rest of the way. Colorado took a game-high 25 points lead off a Waner three with 4:30 remaining, putting Old Dominion down, 78-53.
Old Dominion will take on Auburn in the consolation bracket. The Tigers were defeated by No. 17 Notre Dame 77-64 in the WBCA Preseason Classic's other opening night game. Notre Dame and Colorado will tip-off following Old Dominion's match-up with Auburn at 8:15 p.m. (EST)