Nov. 21, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. -- Junior center Frank Hassell had his first double-double of the season leading Old Dominion (4-0) past the Marshall University Thundering Herd (2-1), 70-62, for their fourth win in seven days. Hassell finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds while senior forward Gerald Lee also poured in a season-high 22 pointsin front of a crowd of 7,141 at the Constant Center.
Hassell was out to a quick start, scoring six points and grabbing five boards in the first half, leading the Monarchs to a 28-21 halftime lead. Three ODU players had six points in the half, with Lee and Ben Finney also knocking down three shots.
Marshall got seven points from Tyler Wilkerson, but shot just 37.5% from the field (9-24) as a team. After a hot start that saw them take the first lead against ODU since the opening moments of game one against Bethune-Cookman earlier this season, the Thundering Herd cooled significantly in the second ten minutes of the first half, scoring just five points while ODU ran off 14 points to take a 7-point lead at the break.
The Monarchs returned to the floor after halftime on a torrid pace, led by Marasharee Neely nailing a pair of three's in big spots and Gerald Lee scoring nine points in the first seven minutes of the frame. A Frank Hassell three-point play the hard way put Old Dominion up 15 with just under 13 minutes to play.
Marshall was unable to hold Lee down, finishing with 22 total points with five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He had 16 in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting. In all, four ODU players finished in double-figures, with Neely's 10 and Finney's 11 joining Lee and Hassell. It is the second time this season four or more players were in double figures.
Hassell added seven points and seven rebounds in the second half, finishing with 13 and 12 for his double-double. He missed just one shot from the field, going 6-for-7 whie adding a block and an assist as well.
Old Dominion shot nearly 52% from the field in the game, on 27-of-52 shooting, while Marshall was at 43.9% on 25-of-57. ODU controlled the boards, finishing with a +14 margin at 40-26, including 17 on the offensive glass.
It is the first time ODU has started 4-0 since the 2004-05 season when Old Dominion opened up a school best 11-1 start. The Monarchs don't return home until December 5 in the first CAA action of the year as they host the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens. Next week, ODU heads to Texas for the semifinals of the South Padre Island Invitational against Missouri (1-0), receiving votes in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coach's polls. The game will be Friday, Nov. 27. ODUwill then play either Richmond or Mississippi State Saturday.