Dec. 7, 2005
Old Dominion at #6/7 Rutgers Game Notes in PDF Format
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Game: Old Dominion at #6/7 Rutgers - Louis Brown Athletic Center - 7:30 p.m.
Livestats: Livestats available at www.scarletknights.com.
Radio: ESPN Radio - 1310 AM - Join 13-time Sportscaster of the Year as Tony Mercurio calls all the action live. He will be joined by ODU Hall of Famer and former Lady Monarch Jan Trombly on color during all home games.
Internet: Live audio of the ESPN 1310 broadcast is available via the Monarch All-Access pass at www.odusports.com.
About Old Dominion: Old Dominion went 1-1 on the week, which included its first victory of the 2005-06 season and a narrow loss to a ranked opponent. Last Tuesday, it was a well-balanced scoring attack, which got the Lady Monarchs into the win column with a 32-point victory over Penn State, 93-61. Four Lady Monarchs reached double digits highlighted by a 20-point second-half scoring barrage by leading scorer T.J. Jordan. After being held scoreless in the first half, Jordan once again came off the bench to lead her squad in scoring, becoming the first Lady Monarch to reach the 20-point mark this season. All six of Jordan's field goals came from three-point land and she added in four more points as she went a perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. Jordan was joined by three others in double figures, juniors Tish Lyons and Sherida Triggs with 16, and senior Lawona Davis with 17. The Lady Monarchs' 32-point win over the Lady Lions was not only ODU's largest margin of victory over Penn State in the 10 games played between the two teams, but also the largest margin over a team from the BIG 10. Although the Lady Monarchs have only played in four games thus far, Old Dominion had its best shooting percentages from the floor, three-point range, and the free throw line against the Lady Lions. Old Dominion connected on 33-of-63 from the floor to finished shooting 48.6 percent for the night, 17-of-20 for 85 percent from the stripe, and 10-of-15 from downtown for 66.7 percent. The Lady Monarchs followed with a 77-82 thriller against #19/20 Vanderbilt, their second Top 25 team of the season. The Commodores overcame a 16-point ODU second half lead for the come from behind victory and nearly becoming the fourth ranked opponent to fall at the Ted Constant Convocation Center since its opening in 2002. Davis nearly missed her second double-double of the year with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds. Davis' 21 points marked a season-high along with Jazzmin Walters' 10 and Paula Muxiri's 14. ODU's leading scorer T.J. Jordan was held without a field goal and tallied all five of her points going 5-of-5 from the free throw line.
About Rutgers: Rutgers returns nine letterwinners and four starters from last season's team that posted a 28-7 overall record and a 14-2 mark in BIG EAST play, winning its first outright BIG EAST regular-season title and advancing to its second consecutive BIG EAST Tournament championship game. Rutgers reached the Elite Eight of the 2005 NCAA Tournament and finished seventh in the final WBCA/ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll. The Scarlet Knights enter Friday night's game ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll with a 6-0 record. Rutgers is coming off their BIG EAST opener with a 58-45 win over Providence, which saw Michelle Campbell pour in a game and season-high 21 points. Prior to Tuesday night's showdown with the Friars, the Scarlet Knights captured the Hawkeye Challenge Title in Iowa, which marked the return of head coach C. Vivian Stringer to her former home. Stringer, the first coach in men's or women's basketball to take three different schools to the Final Four, guided the Hawkeyes to the Final Four in 1993. On the stat sheet, All-American senior Cappie Pondexter leads Rutgers averaging 20.7 points per game. Campbell is averaging 12.5 points per contest and Matte Ajavon, high school teammate of ODU's Shahida Williams, rounds out the Scarlet Knights in double figures as she's been pouring in 10.0 points per game.
Last Time Vs. Rutgers: Former Lady Monarch Shareese Grant set a school record with 17 made free throws as the Lady Monarchs denied Rutgers' head coach C. Vivian Stringer her 700th career win by downing the #16 (AP)/#19 (ESPN/USA Today) Scarlet Knights, 69-61, back on December 5, 2004 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The Scarlet Knights were handed their first loss of the 2004-05 season after opening with four consecutive victories. Grant led all scorers with 21 points but shot just 2-of-12 from the field. Seventeen of her points came from the free throw line setting a new school record. Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman held the previous record, sinking 15 back on January 10, 1978 against Pittsburgh. Lawona Davis poured in 14 points, connecting on a perfect 10-of-10 from the line, while T.J. Jordan recorded 17 points from off the bench, which included a 4-of-9 effort from three-point range. The Scarlet Knight had four in double figures led by 13 points from Nikki Jet. Michelle Campbell had 12 points, while both Mariota Theodoris and Essence Carson registered 10.
Jersey Girl: Friday's game is homecoming of sorts for Old Dominion head coach Wendy Larry. Larry, a native of Bloomingdale, New Jersey, played for Marge Gilles at Butler High School before coming to play for the Lady Monarchs as one of the first student-athletes to receive grant-in-aid in 1973.
Hall of Famers: Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer has some Old Dominion company in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Stringer, who was inducted in 2001, is joined by Lady Monarch legends Anne Donovan and Nancy Lieberman, who were in the inaugural class of 1999, and former ODU Marianne Stanley, who entered the hall in 2002.
On The Road Again: The Lady Monarchs will not see game action inside the friendly confines of the Ted Constant Convocation Center until December 29th when North Carolina comes to town. Old Dominion is on the road for its next three games beginning on Friday night against Rutgers. The Lady Monarchs will follow with road trips to Charlotte (North Carolina) and Florida International (Miami) leaving a total of 25 days without a game at home. Old Dominion's last game at home was a 72-88 setback at the hands of #19/20 Vanderbilt.
T.J. From Threeeeee: Sophomore three-point specialist T.J. Jordan set a new Constant Center record against Penn State for three-pointers made in a game as she sunk six from beyond the arc. The old record was held by Myriah Spence against North Carolina on December 7th, 2003. To date, Jordan has made 12 three-point shots while attempting 30 and is shooting 40 percent from behind the arc. She is averaging 4.0 treys a game and with keeping that pace could be endanger Aubrey Eblin's single season three-point records. Eblin managed 97 three's and attempted 228 during the 1997-98 season.
Post Season Starts Here: Old Dominion will once again host the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament First and Second Rounds at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in March. While the Ted Constant Convocation Center has played host to the First and Second Rounds in 2003 and the Regional in 2004, this year's tournament is the second year of using the new format with eight teams coming to the Tidewater area to vying for two spots in the "Sweet 16". The first round will take place on Sunday, March 19th and the second round will be played on Tuesday, March 21st. Tournament books are now priced at $45 for adults and $30 for children, which includes admission to 4 games on Sunday, March 21 and two games on Tuesday, March 21. If the Lady Monarchs advance to the tournament, they will be guaranteed to play at the Constant Center. Call the ticket office today at 683-4444 for more information.
Want To See Martina McBride?: All fans purchasing a tournament ticket book prior to January 12th will be entered to win one of six pairs of tickets to the Martina McBride concert at the Constant Center on Sunday, January 15th. The four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year will bring her "Timeless" tour to Norfolk that evening at 7:30 p.m. Martina McBride's powerhouse voice has earned her more than 15 million album sales, six number one hits, 20 Top 10 singles and a bevy of honors. Her fiery, passionate vocals have created such signature hits as "Independence Day", "Wild Angels", "A Broken Wing", "Blessed" and "This One's For The Girls".
Quite Memorable: Beginning Monday, Jan. 9, through the National Championship game on April 4, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will count down the 25 most memorable moments from the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament's 25-year history. A 30-second vignette will air during 25 women's basketball telecasts in ranking order, starting with #25 on January 9 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Among top moments is the Old Dominion women's basketball team's thrilling come-from-behind overtime victory over Stanford in the national semifinals. Old Dominion defeated the Cardinal, 83-82, in overtime at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati , Ohio holding on as Stanford missed three shots in the final 10 seconds of the extra period to advance to the championship game against Tennessee. Old Dominion had beaten Stanford during the regular season, but came into the rematch as the underdog, falling behind 31-16 with 7:48 left in the first half. Up to that point in history no team had overcome a 15-point deficit in a Final Four semifinal.
Still Time To Vote: The 25th Anniversary of NCAA Women's Championships will be celebrated throughout the 2005-06 championship season. Division I Women's Basketball began in 1981 and will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary at the 2005 championship. To commemorate this milestone a 25th Anniversary Team consisting of five student-athletes and one coach will be named with your help.Among the candidates are two Old Dominion Lady Monarch legends, Anne Donovan and Ticha Penicheiro.
Anne Donovan:In six NCAA Tournament games, Donovan averaged 20.7 points and 14.5 rebounds per contest along with 36 total blocks. She was named to the East Region All-Tournament Team and the Final Four All-Tournament in 1983 as the Lady Monarchs made their first ever Final Four appearance. Additionally she helped Old Dominion to the Regional Semifinal in 1982.
Ticha Penicheiro:Penicheiro spent all four seasons going to the NCAA Tournament reaching the first round in 1995, the "Sweet 16" in 1996 and 1998, and the championship game in 1997. In her 13 appearances, Penicheiro averaged 11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds along with 92 total assists and 61 total steals. In 1997 during ODU's run to the championship finale, she was named to the Mideast Regional and Final Four Tournament Teams. She holds the national championship game record for steals (8) and the first-and-second round single-game record for steals (14) as well.
Log on to www.ncaasports.com to vote and check back on December 22nd to find out who was selected to the team.
Coming To An Arena Near You:Old Dominion University head women's basketball coach Wendy Larry has announced the signing of three future Lady Monarchs during the early signing period. Old Dominion will welcome 6-1 post player Jessica Canady (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown), 5-11 guard Vicki Collier (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist), and 6-3 post player Sharon Houston (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) to the court for the 2006-07 season.
Jessica Canady:Canady is a three-time first team All-District, first team All-Daily Press, and first team All-Virginia Gazette honoree, who has helped Jamestown to a 73-9 record during her three seasons. With her in the line-up, Canady's Jamestown teams have won the Bay Rivers District Regular Season and Tournament Championship each season and in 2004 won the region, reaching the state quarterfinals. Additionally, her scholastic team has gone 60-1 versus district competition. She is currently Jamestown's all-time (girls or boys) leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker with over 1,400 points and 750 rebounds in three years. As a junior she led Jamestown to a 24-3 overall record averaging 22.4 points and 11 rebounds, earning first team All-State from The Virginia High School Coaches Association (VHSCA), in addition to first team All-Region I and 2nd Team All-State from the Associated Press. During her career she has been named to the Naples Daily News Holiday Shoot-Out and Greene County Ladies Classic All-Tournament Teams.
Vicki Collier:Collier averaged 21.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists as a junior at Largo High School and will suit up for Riverdale Baptist for her senior campaign. Last season she led the conference in scoring and earned MVP of the Largo's First Christmas Tournament after netting 31 points and hauling in 19 rebounds in the championship game. As a sophomore, Collier was named Honorable Mention All-Met by the Washington Post, second team All-Gazette & PG Journal, and first team All-League. Collier has played seven years of AAU Basketball and has participated at the 15 & Under AAU National Champion Competition, the Deep South Classic, the Addias Classic, and the Junior Nationals. In additional to her success on the court, Collier has also found it with Largo's track and volleyball teams. She was a member of the 4A State Track Champions capturing championships in the regional and state high jump. Collier was also named Most Valuable Player of her volleyball team.
Sharon Houston: Houston, a two-time Most Valuable Player, averaged 22.1 points, 13.2 rebound, and 5.1 blocks per game as a first team All-Area sophomore at Lew Wallace. She has since transferred to Merrillville High School, where she sat out last season, but returns to the court this year as one of the top seven seniors in the state according to Regionroundball.com. Houston has also been active in AAU ball playing with her team, "The Family," which went 40-1 during the summer of 2005.
Up Next: The Lady Monarchs travel to Charlotte on December 18th for 1:00 p.m. tip. The game will be broadcast on Comcast (Ch. 35 - Hampton Roads).