Dec. 26, 2007
Kentucky Game Notes in PDF Format
ABOUT THE LADY MONARCHS:The Lady Monarchs are coming off its biggest win of the season in last Thursday's 70-28 victory over Delaware State. In the win, three Lady Monarchs notched double-doubles with sophomore Jessica Canady collecting her first career (12 pts., 13 reb.), senior Megan Pym earning her second of the year (12 pts., 12 reb.), and junior Tiffany Green putting away the 12th of her career (11 pts., 12 reb.). Old Dominion moved up to No. 23 in the Associated Press Poll this week having won four of its last five games. The Lady Monarchs used the starting line-up of forward Pym and Shahida Williams, center Green, and guards Jazzmin Walters and Jen Nuzzo for the second straight game. Nuzzo replaced an injured senior guard T.J. Jordan. Jordan, ODU's leading scorer, has been nursing a stress reaction in her left foot and is listed as day-to-day. Friday's game will mark the start of a four-game road trip. Following Friday's game, the Lady Monarchs head to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt in their final non-conference contest of the year. Next weekend, Old Dominion opens up the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) slate at Georgia State and UNC-Wilmington.
ABOUT KENTUCKY:The Kentucky Wildcats are looking to snap a two-game skid as they take on Old Dominion on Friday night. Kentucky is 4-6 overall in the 2007-08 season and 3-2 at home. The Wildcats' last win came against a familiar Lady Monarch opponent as Kentucky downed William & Mary, 75-44, in its largest margin of victory this season. Samantha Mahoney and Sarah Elliot lead the Wildcats in scoring. Mahoney leads Kentucky as 16.9 points per game, while Elliot is averaging a team second-best 12.1 points per outing along with a team-leading 7.4 boards per game.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST:
ODU - KENTUCKY
69.1 - Scoring - 68.9
.402 - Field Goal Percentage - .404
.355 - 3PT Field Goal Percentage - .293
.598 - Free Throw Percentage -.641
41.0 - Rebounds Per Game - 39.2
15.6 - Assists Per Game - 12.1
19.2 - Turnovers Per Game - 16.5
12.7 - Steals Per Game - 7.2
4.5 - Blocks Per Game - 3.8
SERIES WITH KENTUCKY:Friday will mark the 11th meeting between the Lady Monarchs and Wildcats and the second straight season these two teams will meet. Old Dominion owns a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series. Last season, the Wildcats handed the Lady Monarchs a 55-69 loss in ODU's home opener of the 2006-07 season. It was the first time the two squads faced off on the hardwood since the 1986-87 season. This season's game will mark ODU's return to Lexington since the 1986-87 season where the Lady Monarchs hold a 2-2 mark against the Wildcats.
LAST TIME VS. KENTUCKY:The Old Dominion women's basketball team fell, 55-69, to No. 21 (AP)/24 (ESPN/USA Today) Kentucky on Homecoming on November 18, 2006 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. In the first half, neither team enjoyed more than a five-point lead. Old Dominion led for much of the first half holding on to a 15-12 edge with 8:19 left in the half. From there Kentucky took a 7-0 run to take over a lead they would never relinquish. Old Dominion did managed to tie the game up late in the half. A T.J. Jordan lay-up with 1:36 remaining tied the game at 23-23 and the Lady Monarchs ended the half down only 27-23. Kentucky had a hot hand in the second half. After the Lady Monarch defense held the Wildcats to just 27.3 percent shooting in half number one, Kentucky ignited for 15-of-23 to hit 65.2 percent from the floor in the second half. Old Dominion cut the Kentucky edge down to one twice in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Wildcats bumped up their margin to eight, 27-39, with 13:16 remaining. The Lady Monarchs would only manage to widdle the Wildcat lead down to five. On the next two plays, a Jordan free-throw and a Sherida Triggs lay-up, Old Dominion got as close to the Kentucky lead, 47-42, as it would get the rest of the game. Guards Carly Ormerod and Samantha Mahoney helped Kentucky take a 6-0 run to give the Wildcats a double digit lead it would hold on for almost the rest of the game. Senior forward Jennifer Humphrey hit two free throws giving the Wildcats its largest lead of the game, a 16-point 65-49 advantage. Jordan was the team's leading scorer and the lone Lady Monarch in double figures. Jordan netted 11 with six points coming from the line. Jazzmin Walters added in nine. Kentucky's Jenny Pfeiffer came off the Wildcat bench to lead all scorers with 22 points. Two other Wildcats joined Pfeiffer with double digit scoring. Ormerod added in 18 points, while Mahoney poured in 12. Old Dominion won the battle of the boards by one, 42-41. Megan Pym hauled in seven rebounds in just six minutes.
HELLO TOP 25:The Lady Monarchs returned to the Top 25 in the Associated Press Poll for week four following their upset victory over Michigan State on December 2. Old Dominion was ranked at No. 24 and makes its first appearance in the AP Poll since the final poll of the 2002 season when the Lady Monarchs finished 15th and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
STILL IN THE TOP 25 AND MOVING UP:The Lady Monarchs dropped a spot to No. 25 following its loss to top-ranked Tennessee on December 5th and remained at No. 25 for a second straight week after being idle. Following a 70-28 route of Delaware State, the Lady Monarchs moved up to No. 23 in the AP Poll.
TV TIME:Old Dominion's contest at Kentucky will be aired by Fox Sports South and was recently added to the line-up at WSKY-4 in the Hampton Roads area.
ESPN 360: Don't get Fox Sports South or WSKY-4? No problem. Log on to ESPN360.com and watch via the internet.
WAY TO START:The Lady Monarchs opened the 2007-08 season with a 6-2 overall mark. Among the six victories are wins over two ranked teams in Purdue and Michigan State as well as conference champions from the Sun Belt (Middle Tennessee) and Conference USA (East Carolina). Both losses happened against team ranked in the top four at the time of play - UConn & Stanford. It is the best start for the Lady Monarchs since the 1999-2000 season when Old Dominion opened up the year 7-1.
THREE IN A ROW AGAINST THE BIG 10:Old Dominion made it back-to-back-to-back victories over the BIG 10. The Lady Monarchs returned from a 66-53 upset win over then No. 22/20 Purdue at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, only to return home to see two more BIG 10 squads. Old Dominion then proceeded to down Penn State, 77-49, and upset then No. 19/20 Michigan State, 79-73.
THREE AGAINST THE SEC:The BIG 10 is not the only conference the Lady Monarchs will see three times during non-conference play. Old Dominion takes on Tennessee, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt of the SEC with defending MEAC champion Delaware State breaking up the mix. The Lady Monarchs are currently 0-1 against the SEC having dropped its contest at then top-ranked Tennessee back on Dec. 5.
CANADY CAN DO:Sophomore Jessica Canady had a huge hand in Old Dominion's 70-28 victory over Delaware State on Dec. 20, the Lady Monarchs' largest victory of the season. Canady poured in her first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Her 13 rebounds were not her only career number as she reset career marks in blocks (4) and assists (3) as well.
30 BELOW:For the 21st time in school history, the Old Dominion women's basketball team kept an opponent under 30 points. The Lady Monarchs did on Dec. 20 in a 70-28 victory over Delaware State. It was the fewest points an opponent as scored against the Lady Monarchs since a 66-27 win at Towson on Feb. 3, 2002. The following are ODU's game holding opponents below 30 points for the game:
1. 1969-70 Virginia Wesleyan - W, 96-13
2. 1969-70 Christopher Newport - W, 29-17
3. 1969-70 at Christopher Newport - W, 71-18
4. 1969-70 William & Mary - W, 62-22
5. 1969-70 Lynchburg - W, 44-27
6. 1969-70 at James Madison - W, 41-21
7. 1969-70 Longwood - W, 41-24
8. 1971-72 Christopher Newport - W, 95-10
9. 1971-72 Lynchburg - W, 41-21
10. 1972-73 at James Madison - W, 23-12
11. 1972-73 Virginia Tech - W, 31-29
12. 1973-74 Chowan - W, 48-29
13. 1975-76 George Mason - W, 83-20
14. 1976-77 at William & Mary - W, 70-28
15. 1977-78 Virginia - W, 74-26
16. 1979-80 Virginia Union - W, 62-22
17. 1/21/96 UNC-Wilmington - W, 103-22
18. 11/23/96 Indiana State - W, 116-26
19. 11/16/01 Towson - W, 82-26
20. 2/3/02 Towson - W, 66-27
21. 12/20/07 Delaware State - W, 70-28
* Emory & Henry forfeited a game in the 1975-76 season giving ODU a 2-0 victory.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE-DOUBLE:A trio of Lady Monarchs registered double-doubles in the 70-28 victory over Delaware State, the most by Old Dominion this season. sophomore Jessica Canady collecting her first career (12 pts., 13 reb.), senior Megan Pym earning her second of the year (12 pts., 12 reb.), and junior Tiffany Green putting away the 12th of her career (11 pts., 12 reb.).
UNDEFEATED - AT HOME:Old Dominion is currently 5-0 at home and finished non-conference play at 5-0 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
HEIR JORDAN:Senior guard T.J. Jordan led Old Dominion to a pair of victories over Penn State and No. 20/19 Michigan averaging 19.0 points and 4.0 assists per game to be named the Colonial Athletic Association Co-Player of the Week for the week ending December 2. It was the Lady Monarchs first weekly conference award of the year. After the Lady Lions held Jordan scoreless in the first half, she lit up the court for 14 second half points to end as the game's leading scorer. Jordan's 14 points helped her surpass the 1,200 career point mark. She followed with a game-high 24 points in ODU's upset over #19/20 Michigan State. It was her second 20 + point effort of the season and 14th of her career. Jordan leads Old Dominion averaging 16.9 points per game.
20/20:Old Dominion had two score 20 or more points in the upset win over Michigan State. Senior guard T.J. Jordan led all scorers with 24 points in her second 20+ point performance of the year and the 14th of her career. Junior forward/center Tiffany Green posted 20 points to tie her career mark. Green also poured in 20 points against CAA rival William & Mary her freshman year in January of 2005.
CAN'T KEEP A GOOD LADY MONARCH DOWN:Penn State managed to keep Old Dominion leading scorer T.J. Jordan from hitting a bucket in the first half, but Jordan got revenge in half number two. The senior guard lit up the floor for a game-high 14 points all coming in the second half of action.
OPPONENT HIGH, ODU LOW:Penn State turned the ball over 30 times resulting in 28 points in the Lady Monarchs' 77-49 victory over the Lady Lions. The 30 turnovers were the most for an ODU opponent this season. Conversely, the Lady Monarchs committed only 12 turnovers, a season low for the team.
GREENING UP THE ROSTER:Freshman Shadasia Green, not to be confused with the other Green in senior Tiffany Green, posted some of her highest numbers of the season in the victory over Penn State. Green tied her high in points with eight, field goals made with four, field goals attempted with five, and minutes played with 13. She also stole the ball three times for another career mark.
BEEN AWHILE...:Old Dominion met up with some foes they haven't' seen for awhile at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas over Thanksgiving...but sure do have some memories from the last time they played. The first game featured Connecticut and was the first the Lady Monarch took on the Huskies since the 2002 Elite Eight match-up. When Old Dominion took the court for the second game of the tournament, it was the first time the Lady Monarchs and Stanford faced each other since the thrilling over time national semifinal game in 1997. With Purdue in the third game, it marked the first time 2002 Old Dominion faced the Boilermakers since it's upset over second-seeded and host Purdue in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2002.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TIME:It's not the post-season just yet, but already one Lady Monarch has been named to an all-tournament team. Senior guard T.J. Jordan averaged 13.3 points in games against #2/2 Connecticut, #4/4 Stanford, and #22/20 Purdue to earn a spot on the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team. Jordan led Old Dominion in scoring with 13 against the Huskies and 17 points against the Boilermakers and also poured in 10 points versus the Cardinal.
NO PAIN, NO GAIN:Coming off a sprained ankle in the meeting with No. 2/2 Connecticut in the first game at the Paradise Jam, senior Megan Pym rebounded by collecting her first career double-double against No. 4/4 Stanford in the tournament. Pym poured in a career-tying 12 points along with 10 rebounds, on board shy of her career mark. It was also Pym's 100th game as a Lady Monarch
TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER:Jen Nuzzo has always been regarded as one of the Lady Monarch leaders and it certainly showed against No. 4/4 Stanford in the second game at the Paradise Jam. Nuzzo, a junior point guard, set a new career mark with 14 points, also marking the first time in her career she led ODU in scoring. In the following game against Purdue, Nuzzo reached double figure scoring again, this time added in 10 points.
STARTING ON THE RIGHT FOOT:Old Dominion opened the season with three consecutive wins for the first time since the 1998-1999 season. That season the Lady Monarchs opened the year with five straight wins en-route to the Sweet 16. The five wins came against Marshall, No. 8/12 Teas Tech, No. 10 N.C. State, and Southern California and Southwest Missouri State in the Torneo Cancun de Basquetboll Tournament. The streak came to end in a setback to No.6/7 Alabama in the Wachovia Women's Classic.
WRITING HER NAME INTO HISTORY:Senior guard T.J. Jordan managed to find to more places to put her name in the Old Dominion record books in the Lady Monarchs' 80-59 victory over Charlotte. With a game-high 28 points, Jordan broke the ODU record for most points scored by a Lady Monarch at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The previous record of 27 points was held by Max Nhassengo against Hofstra on Feb. 24, 2004. Additionally with her six three-pointers made, she became the ODU recorder holder for three-pointers made in a career, surpassing Aubrey Eblin's (1995-1999) former mark of 250. Jordan currently has 265 made shots from downtown in her career.
DISH IT TO ME:Junior guard Jazzmin Walters dished out a career-high 12 assists in ODU's 88-66 victory over East Carolina, while committing no turnovers. The 5-2 guard recorded five steals as well in the victory. Last season, Walters finished seventh on the sophomore assist leaders list with 100 dishes.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP:Jessica Canady shined in the first three Lady Monarch games of 2007-08 season debut. Against Middle Tennessee in the season and home opener, the lone ODU sophomore came off the bench and played a career-high 23 minutes. Netting a then career-high 13 points, she also added three steals and three blocks. Canady did not have to wait much longer to reset her career mark in points as she lead all scorers with 18 in ODU's victory at East Carolina. Returning home to host Charlotte, the second year Lady Monarch posted new career marks in steals (4) and minutes played (28). Against No. 4 Stanford, Canady reset her marks in rebounds hauling in eight against the Cardinal. A few weeks later, Canady poured in her first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a victory against Delaware State. Her 13 rebounds were not her only career number as she reset career marks in blocks (4) and assists (3) as well. To date, she is averaging a team second-best 9.8 points per game.
MOVING ON UP:With 19 points against the Blue Raiders in the season opener against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 10, senior guard T.J. Jordan moved into 21st on the all-time Old Dominion scoring leaders list. With her 14 points against Penn State in a 77-49 victory Jordan surpassed the 1,200 point mark. She currently has with 1,229 career points.
HOME COURT STREAK:The Lady Monarchs have won 15 straight home contests dating back to the Dec. 20, 2006, 72-55, victory over national runner-up Rutgers, ODU's last loss at the Ted Constant Convocation Center was against national champion Tennessee, 59-75, back on Dec. 22, 2006.
REJECTED:The Old Dominion women's basketball team collected 12 blocks against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 10 to set a new team record at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The previous record of 11 occurred against East Carolina on Nov. 21, 2006 and conference rival UNC-Wilmington on Feb. 24, 2005. Senior Shahida Williams and junior Tiffany Green led the rejections with four apiece. Williams set a new career mark in the block category while sophomore Jessica Canady tied her career mark with three swats.
IN THE POLLS:The 2007-08 Old Dominion women's basketball team received votes in the ESPN/USA Today Women's Basketball Preseason Poll and moved up to to receiving votes in both national polls following the first week of action. Old Dominion's last Top 25 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll was November 18th, 2003. Old Dominion's last appearance in the Associated Press Top 25 was the final poll of the 2002 season as the Lady Monarchs danced their way to the "Elite Eight".
RANK `EM UP - ESPN/USA TODAY POLL:The Lady Monarchs will be taking on six teams ranked among the nation's top 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Women's Basketball Preseason Poll. Among the teams the Lady Monarchs will take on include three teams in the poll's top ten in No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Connecticut, and No. 8 Stanford. Other upcoming Lady Monarch opponents include No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Michigan State, and No. 20 Purdue. Old Dominion opponents receiving votes in the preseason poll include Middle Tennessee, who will serve as the Lady Monarchs season and home opener on November 10th, as well as Kentucky.
RANK `EM UP - AP POLL:The Lady Monarchs will be taking on five teams ranked among the nation's top 25 in the Associated Press Women's Basketball Preseason Poll. Among the teams the Lady Monarchs will take on include three teams in the poll's top ten in No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Connecticut, and No. 7 Stanford. Other upcoming Lady Monarch opponents include No. 17 Michigan State and No. 23 Vanderbilt Old Dominion opponents receiving votes in the preseason poll include Middle Tennessee, Kentucky, and Purdue.
UP NEXT: Game two of the four-game road swing for the Lady Monarchs takes the team to Nashville, Tennessee to meet #20/21 Vanderbilt. Tip-off is 2:00 p.m. (CST)/3:00 p.m. (EST). Next week, the road trips continue as ODU opens up CAA play at Georgia State and UNC-Wilmington.