Jan. 19, 2006
NORFOLK, VA--Junior guard Loren Stokes scored 16 of his 27 points in the second half to key a Hofstra rally, as the Pride defeated Old Dominion 76-68 on Thursday night at the Ted Constant Convocation. For Hofstra, it was their second straight time defeating the Monarchs at the Constant Center, this time giving ODU their first loss of the year at home. Hofstra improves to 12-3 (5-2) with the victory, while ODU drops to 13-5 (6-2). Senior guard Isaiah Hunter scored a team-high 21 points, and senior forward Alex Loughton collected a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Monarchs jumped on Hofstra early, taking a 23-12 lead with 9:41 remaining in the half as Loughton, junior guard Drew Wiliamson, and sophomore guard Brandon Johnson combined for 19 of those 23 points. The Pride would cut the lead to 31-28 with less than two minutes to go, but the Monarchs scored the last four points of the half to take a 35-28 half time advantage.
As the second half unfolded, ODU had trouble finding the bottom of the net as they went scoreless for the first 6:51 of the second half. Hofstra went on an 11-0 run during this span as they opened up a 39-35 lead. A trey by sophomore Brian Henderson gave the Monarchs a 43-41 lead with 12:04 left in regulation, but Hofstra would slowly build a sizable lead throughout the rest of the half. A dunk by Chris Gadley gave the Pride a 55-50 lead, and a three point play converted by Antoine Agudio put Hofstra's lead in double figures, 61-51 with 5:22 left to go. Hunter's trey would put the Monarchs within five at 63-58 with less than three minutes remaining, but ODU was forced to go into intentional foul mode for the rest of the game. Hofstra's Carlos Rivera made ten consecutive foul shots to ice the win down the stretch.
Old Dominion out shot Hofstra from the field 43.4% to 42.2% and also won the turnover battle 19-15. The Monarchs were defeated on the boards however, getting outrebounded by a 43-34 margin. During the deciding second half, the Monarchs only shot 46.2% from the foul line.
Hunter has now scored 21 points or more in four of his past five games, and continues to lead the Monarchs in scoring. Williamson dished out eight assists for the Monarchs, while junior forward Valdas Vasylius contributed six points and seven rebounds.
Rivera finished with 17 points, including a 11-12 performance from the free throw line. Aurimas Kieza scored 12 points and tied his career high with 15 rebounds to earn a double-double.
Old Dominion returns to the floor on Saturday January 21 as they travel up Interstate 64 for a conference showdown with William & Mary. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The Monarchs will return home the following Thursday for a CAA contest against Drexel at 7:00 p.m.