Jan. 15, 2004
NORFOLK, VA -- The Old Dominion women's basketball team scored a season-high 87 points with a career-high 25 points from senior guard Max Nhassengo (Maputo, Mozambique) as they rolled to a 87-34 victory over Towson in CAA action on Thursday night at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. With a Hofstra and George Mason loss, the Lady Monarchs move into sole possession of first place in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
The Lady Monarchs win their third straight to improve to 8-5 overall and 4-0 in the conference race. Towson, who was off to one of their best starts in school history after opening the year 8-1, drops their third contest to fall to 8-5 overall and 0-4 in CAA play.
The Lady Monarchs were hot from the floor connecting on a season-high 56.5 percent of their shots from the floor and committing a season-low, eight turnovers. Old Dominion held the Tigers to just 15 points in the first half and 19 points in the second, as Towson allowed the most points by an opponent since a 93-74 setback to Drexel during the 2000-01 season.
All but two Lady Monarchs scored in the victory highlighted by Nhassengo, who went 12-of-16 from the floor resetting her previous career high of 23 set against Virginia Commonwealth last season. The senior guard also dished out four assists and collected two steals. Senior forward Monique Coker (Bronx, NY) was the other Lady Monarch in double figures with 14 and narrowly missed another double-double collecting a team-high nine rebounds. Old Dominion got 25 points from its bench, the most from the reserves in 2003-04, as all 13 Lady Monarchs saw playing time.
Towson was without the services of their leading scorer, Virginia Tech transfer Kacy O'Brien, who was averaging 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. A CAA Co-Player of the Week along with ODU's Monique Coker has been sidelined since a back injury suffered during the Tigers' loss at Virginia Commonwealth last week. The Tigers were led by junior forward Kelli Talbot who registered her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The game was never in doubt as the Lady Monarchs raced out to a 9-0 lead, six of those points scored by Nhassengo. Old Dominion kept Towson off the boards until the 14:24 mark with a Kelli Robinson lay-up. Two straight points by Coker gave Old Dominion a double digit lead they would not relinquish, as they took a 31-point, 46-15 lead into the half. The 46 points scored by the Lady Monarchs were the most in a half this season, surpassing their 40-point effort in a victory over Charlotte back on November 30th.
In the second half, Old Dominion twice held a 58-point advantage, leading 84-26 after a Shareese Grant (Va. Beach, VA) jumper at the 4:14 mark and with 2:26 left off a lay-up by freshman Angela Brown (Albany, KY).
Although the Lady Monarchs returned home for the first time since December 18th, Old Dominion does not remain home for long as they travel to Hofstra and Virginia Commonwealth for their next two games.