Jan. 8, 2005
NORFOLK, VA -Alex Loughton (Perth, Australia) had 16 points, 10 rebounds and four steals to lead the Old Dominion men's basketball team to a 76-43 win over James Madison University Saturday night at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. With the win, the Monarchs, winners of five of their last six against the Dukes, improve to 13-2 for the season and 3-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association. JMU drops to 2-9 and 0-3 in the CAA.
<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
The Monarchs started the game on a 10-2 run, by the 15:39 mark of the first half and raced out to as high as a 18-point lead, 27-9, with just under seven minutes left. James Madison went on a brief 7-0 run to cut the lead to 27-16, with 5:08 remaining, but the Monarchs bounced back and took a 15-point lead, 37-22, into halftime. Alex Loughton led ODU in the first half, scoring 14 of his 16 points.
In the second half, the Monarchs quickly raced out to a 31-point lead, 60-29, with just under 10 minutes left in the game. The Dukes were able to bring the lead down to 26-points, 60-34, with 8:30 remaining, but ODU led by as many as 35-points, 76-41, with 1:30 left in the game. JMU's John Goodman made a lay-up with just over a minute left in the game to cut the lead to 33 points, 76-43, which became the final score.
For the game, Alex Loughton led all scorers with 16 points, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Isaiah Hunter (Charlotte, NC) had 14 points, Arnaud Dahi had 12 points and Kiah Thomas (Norfolk, VA/Granby) had 10 points for the Monarchs. JMU's Cavell Johnson led the Dukes in scoring with 11 points. Brandon Johnson (Orlando, FL) tied a career high with seven assists during the game.
The Monarchs, as a team, shot 56% from the field for the game (28-of-50), while JMU shot 35.4% (17-of-48). ODU out-rebounded the Dukes 33-27. JMU committed 27 turnovers, the most of any team ODU has faced this season. St. Joseph's committed 23 turnovers December 22.
ODU returns to action Wednesday, January 12, when they play at Towson. Game time is at 7:00.