Feb. 27, 2005
NORFOLK, Va. -- Senior guard Shareese Grant (Va. Beach, Va.) finished her final regular season home game by netting a season-high 24 points and hauling in a game-high nine rebounds as the Old Dominion women's basketball team rolled to a 92-61 victory over James Madison in its regular season home finale.
Old Dominion improved to 18-7 overall and 14-2 in the CAA heading into the home stretch still trailing Delaware by half a game. The Lady Monarchs will close out the regular season with road games at Hofstra and Drexel this week. The Lady Monarchs end the regular season with an 11-2 home mark. Meanwhile, the James Madison Dukes had their six-game win streak snapped as they fell to 17-9 overall and 10-7 in the league. The Dukes end the regular season on Thursday at home against the league leading Fightin' Blue Hens.
In all, four Lady Monarchs reached double figured led by Grant. The 5-8 senior guard went 11-of-16 from the field while adding in four assists and four steals. Lawona Davis (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) contributed 19 points with 12 of them coming the in the first. Sophomore Sherida Triggs (Norcross, Ga.) added in 12, including four blocks, while rookie Tiffany Green (Chesapeake, Va.) poured in 11.
Lesley Dickinson led the Dukes with 20 points to go along with six rebounds. Meredith Alexis had 12 points, while Andrea Benvenuto added in 10 points and four assists. The Dukes' leading scorer Tamera Young who led James Madison with 18 points in their first meeting with the Lady Monarchs, was held to just nine points.
The Lady Monarchs led by as many as nine early in the second half before the Dukes managed to cut into the lead. Old Dominion, ahead by five, 25-20 with 7:02, watched James Madison go on a 5-0 run capped by a Benvenuto three-pointer.
With the score deadlocked at 25-25 with 5:48 left in the first half, Old Dominion mounted a 17-2 run, including 10 points from Davis, to close out the half and enter the locker room with a 42-75. Young, hit two free throws in James Madisons' lone points during the Lady Monarch run.
The Dukes were only able to cut the defict to 13 twice in the opening minutes of the second half, as the Lady Monarchs outscored their opponent, 50-34, two points shy of matching their season-high for points in a half.
Old Dominion returns to action on Thursday at Hofstra. Game-time is 7:00 p.m. in Hempstead, N.Y.