Nov. 12, 2009
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
WEATHER ADVISORY: The women's basketball game Friday night, set for 7:00 p.m. against Stanford University, will be played as scheduled. Tip remains at 7:00 p.m. for the regular season opener.
Game 1
Friday, November 13th - 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,600) - Norfolk, Va.
Old Dominion University Lady Monarchs (0-0, 0-0 CAA) vs.
#2/2 Stanford Cardinal (0-0, 0-0 PAC-10)
TV: None
Radio: ESPN Radio 94.1 FM
Online Audio: Monarch TV
Online Video: Monarch TV
Live Stats: Gametracker
NORFOLK, Va. -- At 7:00 p.m. Friday night, the ODU Lady Monarchs will open the regular season against #2/2 Stanford at the Ted Constant Convocation Center, where fans are encouraged to wear Monarch Blue to help BLUE OUT the Ted and help set an attendance record for the NCAA's "Pack the House" challenge.
This year, ODU has cut the admission price for all tickets in half, offering $5 tickets for everyone. The Lady Monarchs goal is to sell out the facility for the first time in women's basketball history. ODU boasts a dominant 92-15 overall record in the Constant Center, including seven victories over nationally ranked opponents.
Top WBB Attendance At The Constant Center:
1. Tennessee 1/7/03 - 7,758
2. Virginia 11/22/02 - 7,316
3. Tennessee 12/22/06 - 7,108
4. Tennessee 1/2/05 - 7,063
5. George Washington (NCAA) 3/19/06 - 6,847
6. Rutgers 1/31/03 - 6,384
Ranked Wins At The Constant Center:
11/25/03 #7 Penn State W, 75-68
12/7/03 #12/13 UNC W, 73-68
12/5/04 #16/19 Rutgers W, 69-61
2/25/07 #22/25 James Madison W, 62-57
12/2/07 #20/19 Michigan State W, 79-73
3/25/08 #24/23 Virginia (NCAA) W, 88-85 (OT)
11/21/08 #16/11 Virginia W, 78-70
Today's Game:
All-Time Series --
ODU holds a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Cardinal in just five meetings prior to tonight's contest. The Lady Monarchs won a pair of classic, drama-filled games against the Cardinal in the 1996-97 season including an 83-82 overtime battle in the Final Four that sent ODU to the NCAA Championship game, and an 83-66 defeat of the Cardinal earlier that year when Stanford was ranked #1 in the nation. Over ten years later, Stanford matched up with Old Dominion again, defeating the Lady Monarchs, 69-61, in the 2007 Paradise Jam in St. Thomas.
About #2/2 Stanford --
The second ranked team in the nation comes into Norfolk to open a season where they will defend a pair of Final Four appearances. The Cardinal have gone 68-9 over the past two seasons with back-to-back trips to college basketball's nationalsemifinal. Led by head coach Tara VanDerveer and senior center Jayne Appel, Stanford looks to be one of the favorites to win the national championship this year. Appel is a returning All-American and received the pre-season nod as well as one of nominees for both the Wade Trophy and the John R. Wooden Award. The Pac-10 Player of the Year averaged 16.1 points per game last season with 9.2 rebounds and a 60.9 shooting percentage. She is joined onthe WBCA Preseason Wade Watch list by teammates Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen. In exhibition play, Stanford has scored 107 points twice and are shooting over 55% from the field.
Who's Back?
The top returner for the Lady Monarchs in 2009-10 is senior forward Jessica Canady. Canady was a 2nd Team All-CAA Forward last year and was tabbed to the Pre-Season First Team headed into her final campaign. The Williamsburg native ranked second in the CAA in rebounding, hauling in 9.6 boards per game, despite missingsix games due to injury. She also returns the highest scoring for ODU this year, after averaging 12.6 points per game last season. Also back for ODU is third-leadingscorer Jasmine Parker (10.2 ppg) in the backcourt. Parker started nearly half the games at the shooting guard slot last season. Shadasia Green also returns after a breakout sophomore season that saw her finish with 9.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg a year ago. Juniors Vicki Collier and Russia Voronina are also back in the fold, with sophomore Pryncess Tate-Dublin and redshirt freshman Jo Guilford returning as well.
Who's New?
Though not new to the Lady Monarchs, as she was with the team all last season, Tia Lewis is the most exciting newcomer to the hardwood this year. The 2007-08 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and league-leading rebounder is finally set to debut for the Lady Monarchs on Friday night. A transfer from Central Florida, Lewis has had a year to learn Coach Larry's system and will be asked to shoulder a heavy load right away. Also expect junior transfer Kquanise Byrd to step in right away as a scoring threat. She ranked third in the nation in scoring (24.4 ppg) at the junior college level playing for Miami-Dade College. True freshmen Carolann Cloutier, Jackie Cook and Becca Allison will also provide significant depth right away for the Lady Monarchs.
Season Openers
The Lady Monarchs are 27-13 in season openers, including last year's season opening victory over St. Mary's on November 15, 2008. ODU won that game 93-63 in Austin, Texas as a part of the World Vision Classic. It was the second straight season opening victory after ODU had been on a streak of five straight losses in the opening game from 2002-2006.
Home Openers
In home openers, Old Dominion is 29-11, including a 4-3 mark at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Last season, ODU opened the regular season home schedule with an upset of 11th ranked UVA by a final score of 78-70. It was the second straight win over a ranked opponent at the Ted, including the overtime thriller in the NCAA Tournament the year before, and the seventh win over a nationally ranked opponent at the Constant Center.