Nov. 17, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. - For the second straight game to open the 2009-10 season, the Monarchs never trailed. This time, the scoring seemingly never stopped, as ODU set a new program-high for points scored in regulation at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Old Dominion (2-0) got double figure scoring from six players and dominated the boards from start to finish as they beat Longwood University (0-3), 98-59.
ODU's 98 points was the most scored since the Monarchs put up 96 against Hofstra in the 2006-07 season and was just four points shy of the building high overall. ODU scored 102 in an overtime loss to Charlotte in 2003.
Old Dominion's advantage in the paint was evident early, dominating the glass for the entire game. The margin at halftime was +17 and by the final buzzer, ODU held a 48-30 advantage in rebounding. Kent Bazemore led the way with a career-high nine boards. He also had the punctuation mark in the game as he took the ball baseline and flushed a one-handed dunk over a defender with just under three minutes remaining.
The Monarchs paint presence saw Old Dominion grab 30 rebounds in the first half, led by Bazemore with seven and center Frank Hassell with six. Senior forward Gerald Lee went 5-for-9 in the first half for 12 points to pace Old Dominion, while a pair of dunks highlighted Ben Finney's first half, going 4-for-6 and adding 10 points in the first.
ODU also got timely long-range shooting off the bench as Trian Iliadis nailed two deep balls and Keyon Carter also hit a three in transition off an assist from Bazemore.
The Lancers shot 37% from the field in the first (10-27), but had 13 fewer field goal attempts than the Monarchs, who shot 45% (18-40). Longwood got seven points each from Billy Robinson Jr., Dana Smith and Antwan Carter. Smith and Carter led the way on the boards with five and four respectively, combining for nine of the Lancers' 13 total rebounds.
In the second half, head coach Blaine Taylor spread the minutes out, providing an opportunity for every Monarch to get into the books, including a career-high-tying day for Trian Iliadis. The sophomore shooting guard finished with 11 points and a trio of three-pointers, both tying career-best marks.
Marsharee Neely was also scorching in the second half; after going 0-2 in the first with no points, the Monarch senior went off for 13 points and six rebounds in the final 20 minutes.
Every Monarch had at least two points and hauled in at least one rebound, while all but two had an assist in the game. Lee led the way, adding five points in the second half for 17 total. Finney finished with 12 while Bazemore and Hassell rounded out the six ODU players in double digits with 12 and 10 respectively.
Longwood was led by a double-double from Antwan Carter, coming off the bench. Carter scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 27 minutes of play. Robinson Jr. also finished in double figure scoring with 13 points. Long-range shooting was the crux of the Lancers, shooting just 1-16 from beyond the arc for a .063 shooting percentage. Overall, Longwood finished 24-of-60 for 40% shooting.
Old Dominion drained 10 three's in the game, shooting 71.4% from deep (10-14) and finished a smoking 52.8% from the field (38-72). The Monarchs scored 49 points in each half and were over 62.5% from the field in the second.
The Monarchs now hit the road for a game Thursday night against the Liberty Flames. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.