Feb. 3, 2005
RICHMOND, Va. -- Sophomore forward Sherida Triggs' (Norcross, Ga.) career-high 19 points propelled the Old Dominion women's basketball team to a 62-51 victory over in-state rival Virginia Commonwealth on Thursday night at the Seigel Center to sweep the regular season series. Leading by one, 28-27, at the half, the Lady Monarchs outscored the Rams 34-24 in half number two holding Virginia Commonwealth scoreless over the final 6:21 of the game.
The victory, Old Dominion's seventh straight, upped the Lady Monarchs record to 12-6 overall and 8-1 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. The Rams fell to 7-12 overall and 3-7 in the league.
With the score tied at 10-10 with 12:56 left in the first half, Triggs' ignited the Lady Monarchs on a 7-0 run which would Old Dominion would never relinquish. However, the Rams would not go away quietly, chipping the deficit down to two within the next three minutes. Back and forth the two teams would go with Old Dominion upping their lead and Virginia Commonwealth closing the gap. In the closing minute of the half, the Lady Monarchs managed to extend their lead by as many as six, but Virginia Commonwealth closed the first stanza on a 5-1 run as Old Dominion held on to a slim one-point, 28-27, lead at intermission.
Old Dominion held six-point leads on several occasions in the second half, but each time the Rams would climb back. Miranda Smith closed the Virginia Commonwealth gap to two, 51-53, with 6:21 remaining, but from there the Lady Monarchs' trademark defense would hold the Rams scoreless the rest of the way. During that span, Old Dominion netted nine unanswered points to end the night with the 62-51 win.
Three Lady Monarchs reached double digits led by Trigss' career-high 19. Senior guard Shareese Grant (Va. Beach, Va.) netted 16 points, including a perfect 7-of-7 performance from the line. Davis finished the night with 11.
The Rams had one in double figures with Meagan Evans scoring a team-high 11 points.
Old Dominion once again controlled the glass outrebounding the Rams, 47-41. Freshman Megan Pym (Newfield, N.Y.) led the way from off the bench with a game-high eight boards. Triggs, who is 10th in the CAA in rebounding, and rookie Tiffany Green (Chesapeake, Va.), who leads ODU in board per game and ranks fifth in the conference, collected seven.
The Lady Monarchs return to action on Superbowl Sunday hosting the Towson Tigers at 2:00 p.m. at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.