Feb. 28, 2009
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Game 27
Sunday, March 1st - 2:00 p.m. (EST)
JMU Convocation Center - Harrisonburg, Va.
Old Dominion Lady Monarchs (15-11, 10-6 CAA) vs.
James Madison Dukes (19-8, 12-4 CAA)
TV: None
Radio: WXEZ - 94.1 FM, WGAI-560 AM (Tony Mercurio - Play-by-Play)
Audio: Monarch All-Access
Video: Courtsey of GoMason.Com
Livestats: Courtsey of JMUSports.com
LADY MONARCH MOMENTS:
The Lady Monarchs have just two games left on its slate. Old Dominion will travel to James Madison on Sunday in its final regular season road contest. The Lady Monarchs are3-8 this season on the road and will be looking to pick up its first win in Harrisonburg since 2005.
A win Sunday at the JMU Convocation Center will clinch fourth place for the Lady Monarchs at the upcoming 2009 CAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
The original starting line-up of forwards Jessica Canady and Shadasia Green, center Tiffany Green, and guards Jazzmin Walters and Jen Nuzzo played for the first time since December 21st against Maryland.
A tale of two halves: After shooting the opening stanza at just a 22 percent clip (8-of-36), Old Dominion turned the tables to shoot 52 percent (17-of-33) in the second half in Thursday's 65-57 win over Towson.
Sophomore Sierra Little came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds in Thursday's win for a new career mark.
The six CAA losses for the Lady Monarchs this season are the most for ODU in CAA. ODU suffered five losses in 1991-92, their first year in the league. That season, however, Old Dominion went on to capture the first of its NCAA record 17 straight CAA titles.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST:
ODU - JMU
67.2 - Scoring - 70.6
.397 - Field Goal Percentage - .411
.305 - 3PT Field Goal Percentage - .325
.658 - Free Throw Percentage - .663
43.2 - Rebounds Per Game - 42.7
14.0 - Assists Per Game - 14.5
20.0 - Turnovers Per Game - 17.4
9.6 - Steals Per Game - 7.5
4.6 - Blocks Per Game - 4.4
ABOUT JAMES MADISON:
The James Madison Dukes enter Sunday's contest with a 19-8 overall mark and 12-4 record in the CAA with a third place standing. The Dukes have won their last two games, each by a point. Last Sunday, James Madison escaped Atlanta with a 63-62 win over Georgia State and on Thursday squeaked out a 73-72 win at William & Mary. Sophomore Dawn Evans continues to lead James Madison in scoring and ranks second in the nation in the category. Evans, who missed a couple of game with an injury, is posting 24.1 points per game. On the boards, the Dukes are led by Nina Uqdah at 7.2 boards per contest.
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH JAMES MADISON:
The Lady Monarchs have faced no other opponent as many times as they have the Dukes. Sunday's game will represent the 68th meeting between Old Dominion and James Madison with the Lady Monarchs owning a 50-17 advantage in the all-time series. James Madison snapped ODU's 37-game CAA win streak with a 72-67 victory back on January 25th at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The loss was only Old Dominion's third CAA loss on its home court. Heading to Harrisonburg, Old Dominion will be looking for its first win since the 04-05 season having lost their last three appearances at the JMU Convocation Center.
LAST TIME VS. JAMES MADISON:
The Old Dominion women's basketball team had its 37-game Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) home win streak snapped and was handed only its third home CAA loss in history with a 72-67 loss to James Madison back on January 25th at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The Dukes' Dawn Evans, who leads the nation in scoring, ignited for 36 points. Old Dominion, meanwhile, shot only 18 percent in the second half and went just 25-of-40 from the free throw line. The loss was only the Lady Monarch's third ever conference loss on its homecourt having suffered a 70-74 loss to Richmond on February 19, 1992 and Delaware on January 9, 2005 with a 70-73 setback. Old Dominion opened the game with a 14-3 advantage limiting the Dukes to just one field goal, a three by Evans, in the opening six minutes of the contest. Junior Jessica Canady started the game on a tear, netting the Lady Monarch's first nine points en-route to her team-high 18 points. James Madison fired back using a 17-3 run to take the over the lead it would never relinquish. The Dukes led by six, 29-35, with 2:12 left in the first half, but ODU managed to cut it to a one point ball game at the buzzer trailing, 34-35, heading into halftime. The second half saw Old Dominion shoot only 18 percent from the floor and a mere 19-of-33 from the foul line. The Lady Monarchs, who were missing starting point guard Jazzmin Walters with a leg injury for a majority of the half, trailed by two, 54-56, with 4:57 left. As Old Dominion fouled down the stretch to keep the game within reach, the Dukes excelled from the line going 12-of-15 in the game's final five minutes. Despite the Lady Monarchs not committing a turnover during the span, the squad couldn't find its way into the basket. While ODU got the looks, the Lady Monarchs missed nine of their shots. Evan's 36 points were the most by a women's basketball opponent since the Constant Center opened in 2002. Brittany Crowell joined her teammate in double figures with 10. A trio of Lady Monarchs finished the game in double digits. Along with Canady's 18, freshman Mairi Buchan posted a career-high 15 points and senior Jen Nuzzo tied her career-mark with 14. Senior Tiffany Green, who entered the game with four consecutive double-doubles went 0-for-6, collecting all six of her points from the charity stripe. Green did haul in 14 boards as the Lady Monarchs were outrebounded by five, 45-40.
HEADING TO HARRISONBURG?:
The Old Dominion University athletic department will offer bus transportation to the CAA Women's Basketball tournament in Harrisonburg, VA., for the semifinal and championship rounds on March 14 and 15, should the Lady Monarchs advance in the tournament. The bus will depart each day from the Ted Constant Convocation Center, returning after the Old Dominion Lady Monarch game. The cost of the bus each day is $50 and includes roundtrip transportation and game ticket. A minimum of 40 fans must register for the bus each day to guarantee the transportation package. To secure a seat on the bus, please go to www.odusports.com and follow the link to the Lady Monarch bus reservation, or email jhyslop@odu.edu and provide your name, phone number and email. The deadline to register for the bus is March 11 at 5 p.m.
SEEDING IMPLICATIONS:
Thursday night's 65-57 victory over Towson was crucial for the Lady Monarchs in holding on to fourth place and a CAA Tournament first round bye. Old Dominion currently holds onto fourth place with a 10-6 league mark, two games ahead of Hofstra, Towson, and UNC-Wilmington. One more win and the Lady Monarchs will clinch fourth place. Should the Lady Monarchs drop their next two games against James Madison and Northeastern, the Lady Monarchs could drop to fifth place should the Hofstra Pride prevail over UNC-Wilmington at home Sunday afternoon and at Northeastern on Wednesday. A pair of Pride wins combined with a pair of Lady Monarch losses would tie both squads at 10-8 overall with Hofstra holding the tie break thanks to its 66-51 win over ODU back on February 19th.
ALL THAT JAZZ:
Old Dominion welcomed back senior Jazzmin Walters to the hardwood Thursday night in the 65-57 victory over Towson. The 5-2 senior point guard had missed eight games after suffering a fractured fibula of her left leg in the January 25th loss to James Madison. In her return, Walters recorded six points, four steals, and seven assists.
NEXT GAME:
Old Dominion will host William & Mary in its final 2008-09 regular season game at the Ted Constant Convocation Center on Wednesday, March 4th at 7:00 p.m. The Lady Monarchs will honor seniors Tiffany Green, Jen Nuzzo, and Jazzmin Walters as they play in their final regular season contest at home.