Dec. 28, 2003
PISCATAWAY, NJ -- The Lady Monarch women's basketball three-game win streak came to a halt on Sunday afternoon at the Louis Brown Athletic Center as Rutgers University handed Old Dominion a 45-69 loss. It was the lowest scoring output by the Lady Monarchs this season who entered the game averaging 70 points per game.
The loss dropped Old Dominion to 6-4 on the season and holds the Lady Monarchs winless against non-conference opponents on the road. For Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights improve to 5-4 as they captured their largest margin of victory thus far in the 2003-04 season.
The Lady Monarchs trailed by just seven at the half, down 35-28 to the Scarlet Knights at the intermission. Rutgers had a six point, 22-16 edge, with 7:24 left in the half, but Old Dominion managed close the deficit to within two, 25-23, with just under four minutes remaining. A 6-2 run by the Scarlet Knights to close out the half gave Rutgers its largest lead of the first half of play. Defensively, Old Dominion held Rutgers' All-American Cappie Pondexter to a scoreless first half, the first time in her career she failed to score points before halftime.
Rutgers held Old Dominion to just one field goal in the first 9:20 of the second half, as the Scarlet Knight went on a 15-2 tear to open up the second stanza. Freshman Tish Lyons (Newport News, VA), from off the bench, netted Old Dominion's first field goal at the 13:22 mark as the Scarlet Knights built up as much as a 29-point lead. Rookie Sherida Triggs (Norcross, GA) led all scores in the second half with five points all from the free throw line.
Senior forward Monique Coker (Bronx, NY) was the only Lady Monarch to reach double figures, netting 13 points. Junior point guard Shareese Grant (Va. Beach, VA) was held to just seven points, while senior guard Myriah Spence (Espanola, NM) contributed six.
Rutgers had four in double figures led by Chelsea Newton with a season-high 19 points. Shalicia Hurns also had a season-high with 13, while both Cappie Pondexter and Dawn McCullouch each had 12.
The Lady Monarchs continue on their four-game road trip after the New Year when they travel to Knoxville, TN to face Tennessee on January 4th.