Feb. 15, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. -- Senior point guard Jen Nuzzo (Newport News, Va.) helped lead the Old Dominion women's basketball team back to the win column Sunday afternoon with a career-high 18 point performance in ODU's 70-55 win over Delaware in the annual Hoops For A Cure game. The senior co-captain went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, including 2-of-2 from downtown, and 2-of-2 from the line along with four assists and three steals.
The win improves the Lady Monarchs to 14-9 overall and 9-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Delaware meanwhile drops to 12-12 overall and 4-9 in the league.
The visiting Fightin' Blue Hens raced to an 8-0 to start the game. Delaware's second leading scorer Vanessa Kabongo rattled off six of her 12 points in the Blue Hen run. Old Dominion charged right back, however, dropping in eight unanswered points to tie the game up at 8-8 within two minutes.
Delaware reclaimed the lead and went back up by as many six, taking a 18-12 advantage with 10 minutes remaining in the half. From there the Lady Monarchs continue to chip away at the Blue Hen lead. With 6:16 to go, sophomore Jessica Canady (Williamsburg, Va.) converted four straight free throws, a pair from being fouled on her way to the bucket and another pair awarded for a techincal foul. Her fourth and final shot from the line put Old Dominion up by one, 23-22. It was not only ODU's first lead of the game, but one the Lady Monarchs would not relinquish.Canady's final free throw also started a 10-4 run by the Lady Monarchs to head into halftime ahead, 33-26.
Old Dominion was ahead by double digits for most of the second half. Nuzzo hit a jumper at the 16:37 mark to give her squad a 39-28 lead and a double figure edge it would hold for the rest of the game. The Lady Monarchs led by as many as 19 late in the second half.
Along with Nuzzo's career-high 18 points, three other Lady Monarchs reached double figure scoring. Both Canady and senior Tiffany Green (Chesapeake, Va.) posted 12 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Shadasia Green (Patterson, N.J.) posted 15 points along with six rebounds and three assists in the Lady Monarch victory as well.
Corinthia Benison led the Blue Hens with 18 points. Kabongo, who started the game scoring six of Delaware's first eight points and finished the first half with 12, was held scoreless in the second half going 0-for-6 in the second stanza. Jocelyn Bailey came off the bench for 10 points.
The Old Dominion women's basketball team hits the road for the next two games. First up is Hostra on Thursday, February 19th with a noon tip-off. It will be the lone meeting this season between the Lady Monarchs and the Pride. Old Dominion then travels to George Mason on Sunday, February 22nd to close out the season series with the Patriots.