Dec. 29, 2007
Vanderbilt Game Notes in PDF Format
THE LADY MONARCHS:Old Dominion, winners in five of its last six games, will look to make it two-in-a-row against the SEC when they travel to Nashville to take on No. 20/21 Vanderbilt on Sunday afternoon. It will be Old Dominion's final non-conference contest of the season and the second game of a four-game road swing for the team. The Lady Monarchs are coming off a 71-62 victory over Kentucky at Memorial Coliseum. The game saw the return of leading scorer, senior guard T.J. Jordan, who had missed the previous two games with a stress reaction in her left foot. Jordan picked up right where she left off netting a game-high 22 points. Jordan continues to lead the squad in scoring at 17.4 points. Sophomore Jessica Canady is the Lady Monarchs' second leading scorer, coming off the bench to net 9.6 points per game. Junior Tiffany Green leads the rebounding corps at 8.0 boards per game and is third on the team in scoring at 9.4 points per contest.
ABOUT VANDERBILT:Vanderbilt returns from holiday break to host the Lady Monarchs on Sunday afternoon. The Commodores are 9-3 overall, including a 7-1 mark at Memorial Gymnasium. Vanderbilt has swung between the win and loss columns for the last five games and will be looking put together two straight wins for the first time since having a five-game win streak snapped against California in early December. In their last game, the Commodores picked up a 92-37 victory over Lipscomb. A pair of Commodores are averaging double figures. Senior center Liz Sherwood leads Vanderbilt at 14.1 points per game and is second in rebounding at 5.0 boards per game. Junior guard/forward Christina Wirth is averaging 13.8 points per game. Junior guard Risper leads the team in rebounding at 5.8 boards per contest and is third on the Commodore squad in scoring at 9.8 points per game.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST:
ODU - VANDY
69.3 - Scoring - 75.6
.402 - Field Goal Percentage - .487
.355 - 3PT Field Goal Percentage - .371
.596 - Free Throw Percentage - .639
41.4 - Rebounds Per Game - 36.4
14.7 - Assists Per Game - 16.2
19.1 - Turnovers Per Game - 16.1
12.5 - Steals Per Game - 10.5
4.5 - Blocks Per Game - 3.7
SERIES WITH VANDERBILT:Old Dominion is returning a game with the Commodores from the 2005-06 season. The Lady Monarchs lead the all-time series 3-1 and will be looking to avenge its lone loss against the Commodores from its last outing, a 77-82 setback back on December 4, 2005.
LAST TIME VS. VANDERBILT: Caroline Williams scored 20 points as No. 19 Vanderbilt came back in the second half to beat Old Dominion 82-77 back on December 4, 2005. Vanderbilt held Old Dominion to 39.4 percent shooting and 28 points in the second half to get the win. Old Dominion led 49-39 at halftime. Old Dominion sank four 3-pointers in the first half, but went 0-for-9 from behind the arc after the break. The Monarchs also were shut off from the charity stripe, going 2-for-3 in the second half after hitting 11-of-16 in the first half. Dee Davis added 16 points and 10 assists for Vanderbilt, while Rachel Brockman and Liz Sherwood had 10 apiece. Former Lady Monarch Lawona Davis led Old Dominion with 21 points and nine rebounds. Former ODU forward Paula Muxiri added 14 and current junior Jazzmin Walter had 10. Old Dominion outrebounded Vanderbilt 38-27.
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 1-1 against the SEC having dropped its contest at then top-ranked Tennessee back on Dec. 5 and is fresh off a 71-62 win over Kentucky at Memorial Coliseum.
NON-CONFERENCE COMING TO A CLOSE:Sunday's game against Vanderbilt will mark the final non-conference contest for Old Dominion. The Lady Monarchs enter the game against the Commodores with an 8-3 mark against non-CAA competition, their best non-conference record since going 7-3 in non-conference action since the 1998-99 season.
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.
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.
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 GOODLADY 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.
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 269 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 9.6 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 1,251 career points.
HOME COURT STREAK:The Lady Monarchs have won 16 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.
PRESEASON AWARDS:Senior guard T.J. Jordan was a Preseason First Team All-CAA selection for the second consecutive year. Jordan, a two-time CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, averaged a team-leading 14.5 points per game and nearly rewrote every three-point record in the ODU history books. Junior Tiffany Green was named to the Preseason Second Team All-CAA list. Green will be the Lady Monarchs returning leading rebounder as she hauled in 6.0 a year ago along with 8.4 points per game.
CAA PRESEASON POLL - WE'RE #1:Old Dominion, which has captured the past 16 Colonial Athletic Association women's basketball titles, was picked to repeat as conference champion in 2007-08 according to a vote of the league's coaches, sports information directors and media. The Lady Monarchs, who posted their 16th consecutive 20-win season last year, were followed in the voting by James Madison, William & Mary, VCU and Delaware. Picked sixth was Towson, followed by Hofstra, Drexel, Georgia State, Northeastern, UNC Wilmington, and George Mason.
SO WE MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME:The only team on the 2007-08 schedule the Lady Monarchs have never faced is Michigan State. The Spartans came to Norfolk on Dec. 2. with Old Dominion earning a 79-73 win.
SO WE MEET AGAIN:The Lady Monarchs continue annual rivalries with Tennessee and Penn State while taking on Middle Tennessee, East Carolina, Delaware State, and Kentucky for the second straight season. It marks the third straight season ODU and Charlotte will meet on the hardwood while the Lady Monarchs return a game to Vanderbilt from the 2005-06 season.
THINK PINK:The annual HOOPS FOR A CURE game is slated for Feb. 10 against CAA rival William & Mary.
UP NEXT: Old Dominion's road trip continues as the 16-time CAA championship Lady Monarchs begin Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Old Dominion will open up the CAA slate at Georgia State in a game televised by Comcast SportsNet on Sunday, January 6th. The fourth and final game of the road swing will be at UNC-Wilmington on Wednesday, January 9th.