Feb. 3, 2006
NORFOLK, Va. -- A four-point half time deficit turned into a 27-point victory for the Lady Monarchs Friday night at the Ted Constant Convocation Center as Old Dominion swept the season series against Drexel with 76-49 win.
The Lady Monarchs' win streak extended to nine games as Old Dominion improved to 11-7 overall and 9-0 in the CAA. Drexel meanwhile falls to 9-10 and 4-6 in the league as its three-game win streak came to a halt.
It was a tale of two halves as Drexel had a 33-29 lead at halftime. The Dragons were fueled by Jackie Falson, who ignited for 11 first-half points connecting on 3-of-4 from downtown.
The game opened with the Dragons taking a 12-2 within the first four minutes of the half. However, the Lady Monarchs responded by holding Drexel scoreless over a six-minute span and rattling off 12 unanswered points. Junior Shantel Wilson (Washington, D.C.) drained two free throws to give Old Dominion its first lead of the game, 14-12, with 10:06 remaining in the half.
Hot three-point shooting by the Dragons saw Drexel bump its lead up to six late in the first stanza and Old Dominion was not able to close the gap in the final minutes. The Lady Monarchs entered the locker room down by four, the first time this season Old Dominion trailed a CAA opponent at intermission.
The second half however was all Old Dominion as the Lady Monarchs outscored the Dragons, 47-16. It marked the fewest points scored by an ODU opponent in a half this season. Falson, who had 11 points in the first half, managed only one free throw to end the night with a season-high 12 points. Drexel only managed five field goals in the second half.
The Lady Monarchs opened half number two with a 16-5 run. Senior Lawona Davis (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) knocked down back-to-back buckets to give Old Dominion a 40-38 lead with 15:22, a lead in which they would never relinquish. Less than two minutes later, junior Sherida Triggs (Norcross, Ga.) completed the traditional three-point play to give Old Dominion a seven-point edge.
Leading 45-38 with 13:13 to go, Narissa Suber got to the basket to close the Drexel gap to five, however, it would the closest the Dragons would get the rest of the night. From that point the Lady Monarchs would outscore Drexel 24-7, holding the Dragons to only one more field goal, that coming from Candice Williams at the 7:03 mark.
In all four Lady Monarchs reached double figures led by Triggs with a game-high 15 points. From off the bench, junior Paula Muxiri (Luanda, Angola) added 13 and sophomore Shahida Williams (Newark, N.J.) notched 11 points. Davis also poured in 10.
Falson was the lone Dragon in double figures. Williams nearly missed out on a double-double with a team-high six rebounds and nine points.
The Lady Monarchs shot a season-best 56.1 percent from the floor, replacing their previous effort of 55.0 from their first meeting with Drexel.
Old Dominion returns to action against Northeastern. It will be the first meeting between the two teams as conference rivals.