Feb. 21, 2007
NORFOLK, VA -- ODU used sure-handed defense and an assist-laden offense in the second half to distance from Towson Tigers 79-65 for the teams tenth straight victory. ODU (22-7/14-3) dropped Towson (14-15/8-9) to improve the all-time series record to 16-1. On senior night, the fourth-year players combined for 40 points, 22 rebounds, and 12 assists.
At the break, the Monarchs led by five, 38-33, behind seniors Arnaud Dahi with eight points and seven rebounds and Drew Williamson with six points and three assists. ODU had eight blocks and five steals in the first frame.
For Towson, Gary Neal had 16 points in the first half on 5-of-14 shooting. He also added five rebounds. Winstonn Tubbs had eight points and three boards in the first.
Old Dominion did not shoot well from beyond the arc in the first half (3-of-14 for 21.4%) so they changed their approach in the second half. Using stingy defense to create fastbreak opportunities and not being denied in the paint among Towson's big men, ODU extended the five-point half time lead to the final 14-point deficit.
Williamson only finished with 9 points, but had three high-impact highlight reel layups with hands in his face to motivate his team. He also had two blocks, three steals and six assists.
The other seniors finished with top numbers. Dahi tallied 12 points and 13 rebounds while also collecting two assists, three blocks, and two steals. It was Dahi's eighth career double-double. Vasylius had 16 points and seven boards with two assists, one block and one steal.
The seniors weren't the only ones to show up for ODU, as Brandon Johnson had another great game with 12 points, seven rebounds, five steals, and two assists. The 6-1 guard even added a block for good measure. It was the seventh time this season Johnson has led the team in steals with four or more in a game.
Neal paced Towson the rest of the game, finishing with 30 points on 8-of-24 shooting. He also had seven rebounds and four assists. The only other Tiger in double-digits was Dennard Abraham with 13 on 6-of-15 shooting.
As a team Towson outrebounded the Monarchs 47-41 but a halftime adjustment dropped the offensive rebounding numbers for the Tigers down from 13 in the first half to just six in the second. ODU blocked 12 shots and stole the ball 11 times in the game while giving the ball away just nine times.
Towson shot 34.9% (22-of-63) for the game while the Monarchs nailed 41.9% (26-of-62). ODU held a 31-7 edge in bench points.
Wednesday was the final home game of the year for the Monarchs as they finish out the regular season at William & Mary on Saturday, February 24 with tip set for 2:00 pm.