Feb. 18, 2006
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Alex Loughton had 27 points and 12 rebounds as Old Dominion defeated Marist 84-71 on Saturday.
Brian Henderson shot 6-of-8 from 3-point range for 20 points and Isaiah Hunter added 16 points for Old Dominion (19-8). Arnaud Dahi added 12 points and Drew Williamson had 10 assists for the Monarchs.
Will Whittington sank 7 of 14 3-pointers, leading Marist with 27 points. Jared Jordan, the nation's leader in assists contributed 15 points and 10 dimes, and James Smith added 10 points.
Marist (16-9) tied it three times in the first half but couldn't take the lead until Whittington's 3-pointer with 4:19 to go put the Red Foxes ahead 34-33. Loughton sank a layup, was fouled and completed the 3-point play before Smith's dunk tied it again at 35 apiece with 3:40 to go in the half. Valdas Vasylius's basket put Old Dominion up 37-35 at halftime.
Dahi started the second half with a 3-pointer that sparked a 17-2 run, putting Old Dominion up 54-37 with 14:12 remaining. Marist could get no closer than 12 the rest of the way as the Monarchs led by as many as 22.
Old Dominion shot .527% from the floor for the game, and limited one of the nation's most potent three-point offenses in Marist to a .344% percentage for the game. ODU, led by Loughton, also outrebounded the Red Foxes 38-30. The Monarchs committed only nine turnovers.
Henderson's 20 points is a career high, as is his six treys he sank in eight attempts. Williamson also set a career-high in assists with ten, while Loughton's 27 points is a season-high for the senior.
Sophomore Brandon Johnson saw his first action since suffering a bullet wound to his right shoulder in late January, and contributed two assists in eight minutes of play.
ODU also honored their departing seniors- Loughton, Hunter, and Janko Mrksic- as this was their last home game of the 2005-06 season.
The game was one of 50 so-called ESPN BracketBusters, giving teams expected to battle for at-large NCAA tournament berths a chance to add a solid victory late in the season. The contest drew over 8,000 spectators to the Ted for the fourth time this season.
Old Dominion returns to action this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. as they travel to JMU and then wrap up their regular season on Saturday in Delaware.