Jan. 26, 2006
NORFOLK, VA--Junior forward Arnaud Dahi (Ivory, Coast Africa) netted 19 points, and senior forward Alex Loughton (Perth, Australia) scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead ODU to a 74-67 win over Drexel on Thursday at the Ted Constant Center. With the victory, Old Dominion is now 15-5 (8-2) on the season. Drexel drops to 12-9 (6-4) on the year. Four Monarchs scored in double figures to contribute to a balanced Monarch offensive attack.
ODU jumped out to an early 15-12 lead, but the Dragons stormed back when guard Dominick Mejia drained three consecutive treys as Drexel took a 21-15 lead with 8:40 remaining the first half. A three pointer by Isaiah Hunter (Charlotte, NC) gave the Monarchs their last lead of the half at 25-24 with 4:52 left in the session. Mejia and Kenell Sanchez would combine for eight points on an 8-2 Drexel run that saw the Dragons go into halftime with a 32-27 lead.
Down by three early in the second half, Dahi jump started the Monarchs as Dahi converted on back-to-back buckets to give the Monarchs a 37-36 lead with 16:30 left regulation. ODU maintained a slight advantage until eight and a half minutes left, when Sanchez connected on two free throws to give Drexel a 51-50 lead with 8:39 remaining. A bucket by Dahi and two foul shots from Loughton would put the Monarchs up by two with 6:58 left in the game, and ODU would never look back.
A lay-up by Hunter gave Old Dominion a 63-52 advantage with less than three and a half minutes to go, and ODU would connect on eight of their final ten free throws to preserve the ODU lead and give the Monarchs the five point victory. During the second half, Loughton, Dahi and company shot a blistering 65.2% from the field after shooting 42.3% in the first session.
Old Dominion shot 53.1% for the game, and dished out more assists than the Dragons by a 17-12 margin. The Monarchs also committed five less turnovers than their opponents, 15-10. Junior guard Drew Williamson (Burlington, NC) dished out a team-high seven assists, while junior forward Valdas Vasylius contributed 12 points and five rebounds. Hunter tallied 13 points. Dahi earned his 19 points by shooting 9-11 from the field.
For Drexel, Mejia set a new Constant Center opponents record for most points scored in a game with 34. Sanchez earned a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds, while Bashir Mason contributed eight points and and a game-high eight assists.
The Monarchs return to the hardwood Saturday afternoon as they travel to Fairfax, VA to take on conference rival George Mason. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ODU will the travel to Hofstra on February 2nd as they face the Pride in a key CAA showdown.
ODU BASKETBALL PLAYER Brandon Johnson
NORFOLK, VA--At approximately 10 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25, Old DominionUniversity men's basketball player Brandon Johnson (Orlando, FL.) was shot as he exitedhis residence in the University Village Apartments. Brandon was treated at Norfolk General Hospital for a fractured right clavicle and released. He will miss action until heis re-evaluated in approximately five to six weeks.
Old Dominion University Police are assisting the Norfolk Police Department inthe investigation, which is ongoing. The university has expanded its policing and security coverage of the entire campus.