Dec. 11, 2004
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The Lady Monarchs fell to 3-2 on the season as they were defeated 64-72 by the University of Virginia on Friday night at University Hall. Senior guard Shareese Grant (Va. Beach, Va) led the team with 18 points.
The Cavaliers, who improved to 6-3 in the win, were able to capitalize on a season-high 30 turnover committed by the Lady Monarch resulting in 35 Virginia points. The Cavaliers had four in double figures and were led by Jocelyn Logan-Friend with 17 points.
"Mentally you get into a rhythm and keep turning the ball over," Grant said of falling behind early. "That's what we did tonight."
Old Dominion was down early in the first half trailing 6-20 with 12:25 on the clock. However, the Lady Monarchs continually chipped away at the lead and brought the score to within one point of the lead. A three-pointer by rookie T.J. Jordan (Portsmouth, Va.) capped off a 12-2 5un, as Old Dominion trailed just 29-28 with 5:03 left in the half. Although the Lady Monarchs did not control the lead, Old Dominion kept the deficit within single digits the rest of the half and entered the locker room down, 33-40.
Midway through the second half, the Cavaliers bumped their lead back up to double digits, leading by as much as 13 with 10:03 remaining after holding the Lady Monarchs scoreless for four minutes. As they did in the first half, Old Dominion continually chipped away at the lead. The Lady Monarchs cut their deficit to four with 42 second left on the clock down 63-67, but as time was winding down, Old Dominion was forced to foul. At the line Virginia connected on five of their six free throw shots in the final 28 seconds of the game, while Old Dominion managed to attempted two shots and hit one of two free throws.
Old Dominion won the battle of the boards outrebounding the Cavaliers 35-27.
"There were a number of stories," ODU head coach Wendy Larry said. "Turnovers was one and senior leadership was another with inconsistency on behalf of our veteran players. We've struggled with pressure."
Three were in double figures for the Lady Monarchs led by Grant's 18. Freshman Tiffany Green (Chesapeake, Va.) had 11 off the bench, while sophomore Sherida Triggs (Norcross, Ga.) had 10. Green and Jordan led Old Dominion on the board with seven apiece.Four UVa seniors scored in double figures, led by Logan Friend's career-high 17 points. Brandi Teamer and LaTonya Blue added 13 points each, while Kate Kreager came off the bench for 12 points. The Lady Monarchs have a nine-day break before hitting the road again. The Lady Monarchs travel to Happy Valley to take on Penn State on December 19th. The game will be televised locally on Cox Cable (Ch. 71) and nationally on College Sports Television (CSTV).