Dec. 20, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion women's basketball team used a balanced scoring attack and stellar free-throw shooting to down the Hampton Lady Pirates (2-7) on Sunday, 83-64. Old Dominion had four players in double figures and all but one Lady Monarch was in the scoring column. ODU also show 85.7% from the free-throw line on 30-of-35 shooting.
The Lady Monarchs opened the game on a big run, starting the game up 10-1 at the 16:46 mark. Sophomore Tia Lewis powered the opening run, scoring five points while adding two rebounds and a steal. She added a traditional three-point play at the 15:32 mark and then another free-throw just 20 seconds later giving her nine of ODU's first 14 points. The Lady Monarchs led 14-5 with 15:12 remaining behind Lewis' effort.
Hampton would hang in, though, and got back within three after a small 6-0 run of their own. The Lady Pirates would hover around five points back for the remainder of the first half as Old Dominion struggled to add to the lead. Heading into halftime, the Lady Monarchs led by six at 33-27.
Coming out of the locker room, Hampton continued to battle with the Lady Monarchs, getting the score back within two at 42-40 with 14:31 to go. ODU would answer the charge though, scoring 13 unanswered points over the next 4:29. The Lady Monarch press would force five turnovers in the run as ODU's leading scorer Shadasia Green and Lewis would continue to add to their team-high scoring totals. Each had four points in the 13-0 run that gave ODU a 55-40 lead with 10:02 remaining.
Hampton would be unable to get back within single digits the rest of the way as Old Dominion posted a season-high 21-point lead with under a minute remaining at 83-62. Hampton would add a the last bucket for the final score of 83-64.
Lewis and Green led the way for Old Dominion with 15 points and six boards each, while sophomore center Mairi Buchan had a big night from the line, going a perfect 6-for-6, and finished with 14 points and four rebounds. Junior guard Vicki Collier was in double figures for the third consecutive game, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
As a team, ODU missed just five free-throws. Coming off the worst free-throw shooting game of the season against Florida, the Lady Monarchs responded with a 30-for-35 night from the charity stripe and an 85.7% shooting percentage. From the field, Old Dominion shot 48.1% on 25-of-52 shooting. The home team shared the ball well, posting a season-high 17 assists as a team. Green and Parker each had five in the contest.
Hampton University was led by Bernadette Fortune, scoring 21 points off the bench on 6-of-15 shooting. Quanneisha Perry added a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Pirates. Hampton slips to 2-7 on the season after shooting just 30.9% from the field on 21-of-68 shooting.
Old Dominion has a quick turnaround for their next game, as the team will head up to Philadelphia for a Tuesday afternoon tilt against St. Joseph's University. The game will tip at 1:00 p.m. and fans can tune in live on ESPN Radio 94.1 FM.