Nov. 12, 2006
NORFOLK, VA -- For their first loss of the season, the Monarchs certainly kept the crowd in their seats until the final buzzer. Clemson had as much as a 14-point lead on the Monarchs and controlled much of the game until the Monarchs came storming back late in the second. It proved too late for ODU, however, as the Tigers won the Cox Classic with a 74-70 win.
With 19.2 seconds left on the clock Abdi Lidonde got a pass from Drew Williamson and connected on a long three from the corner to pull ODU within three. The Monarchs would have to foul coming out of the ensuing timeout and Vernon Hamilton went to the line. Hamilton missed the front end but increased the lead to four when he hit the second. The Monarchs were able to get two good looks with the remaining time but were unable to convert and Clemson was victorious.
The Tigers controlled much of the game and held the lead for more than thirty minutes to close out the Monarchs. Ahead by 13 points with less than seven minutes to play the Monarchs had to scrap their way back to have a shot in the final seconds.
All-Tournament team selection Valdas Vasylius led ODU with 16 points and 5 rebounds including a long three as the Monarchs were climbing back. Four Monarchs ended with double-digits but the shooting was sub-par. For the game, ODU only shot 37.3 percent (25-for-67) from the field and a meager 29 percent (9-for-31) from beyond the arc. Also, going just 7-for-16 in the first half from the charity stripe, Old Dominion finished just over fifty percent (11-of-21).
Senior point guard Drew Williamson continued to play well early in the season for ODU with a 13 point, 5 assist, and 4 rebound performance. Williamson was named to the All-Tournament team after totaling 49 points, 11 boards, and 12 assists during the weekend.
Clemson spread the ball around as they did all weekend and had five players in double figures. Tournament MVP James Mays missed a double-double by just one point finishing with nine and pulled down 10 rebounds. The Tigers shot 50 percent (29-of-58) from the field but were plagued by 18 turnovers that led to 26 of ODU's 70 points.
Junior guard Brandon Johnson scored a career high 15 points for theMonarchs.
Defensively, the Monarchs continued to improve with 8 steals and no player had more than three fouls. They also only allowed 12 points off of turnovers.
ODU (2-1) will be back in action at the Ted Constant Convocation Center on Friday at 7:00 pm as they host Florida Atlantic for Homecoming.
The Cox Communications Classic All-Tournament Team
G - Adrian Banks (Arkansas State)
G - Whitney Coleman (Monmouth)
G - Cliff Hammonds (Clemson)
G - Drew Williamson (Old Dominion)
F - Valdas Vasylius (Old Dominion)
MVP
F - James Mays (Clemson)