Dec. 21, 2009
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Game 9
Tuesday, December 22nd - 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Old Dominion University Lady Monarchs (2-6, 0-0 CAA) at
Saint Joseph's University Hawks (3-7, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
TV: None
Radio: ESPN Radio 94.1 FM
Online Audio: Monarch TV
Online Video: Monarch TV
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The ODU women's basketball team (2-6) is headed to Pennsylvania to kick off a four-game road swing against St. Joseph's (3-7) on Tuesday, December 22 at 1:00 p.m. After the game against the Hawks, ODU will take the holiday off before traveling to Tennessee on December 30 to close out the non-conference slate and then on to Delaware and Northeastern to open up the CAA season in January.
Old Dominion has been led recently by sophomore forward Tia Lewis (Poulan, Ga.) in each of the last three games, posting double-doubles against Ole Miss and Florida and again leading the Lady Monarchs with 15 points and 6 rebounds against Hampton. The team's leading scorer, junior Shadasia Green, also posted the same numbers while dishing out five assists against the Lady Pirates.
Today's Game:
All-Time Series - ODU and Florida have faced eachother just five times before tonight's game, with ODU winning all five. Last season was the first time the Hawks and Lady Monarchs had faced eachother since the early 90's. Old Dominion hosted SJU at the Constant center last season, winning 74-51. The two previous matchups came in 1990 and 1994 in the NCAA Tournament as ODU got postseason victories.
About Saint Joseph's - Saint Joseph's has started the season by going 3-7 in their first 10 games. They have yet to lose three games in a row this season, though, and are currently riding a two-game losing streak. The Hawks have faced a pair of CAA opponents this season, going 1-1 with a victory over George Mason and a loss to Drexel, both at Hagan Arena.
St. Joe's also defeated UMBC at home and Florida International in Miami at the Florida International Thanksgiving Tournament.
Coming off the bench in nine of the first ten games this season, senior Brittany Ford is leading the team in scoring at 12.2 per game. Ford is also second on the team in rebounding, with 4.6 per game in just under 21 minutes per game.
Senior Mariame Djouara, who led the team in scoring against ODU last season, is second on the team in scoring with 9.5 per game. A pair of Hawks have dropped 12 3-pointers this season in Amy Gillespie and Shelby Smith.
Milestone March
Not only are the Lady Monarchs just six wins shy of 100 in the Constant Center, but the Old Dominion women's basketball program is just eight wins away from 900. Old Dominion women's basketball boasts an all-time record of 892-305 (.745) in 40 years of play. There are only two programs in the history of women's basketball with 900 wins. Head Coach Wendy Larry is also approaching yet another milestone, just 29 wins shy of her 600th.
CAA Preseason Poll
The Lady Monarchs were picked to finish third in the CAA Preseason Rankings, as voted on by the head coaches. Defending champions Drexel were pegged as the top team heading into 2009-10 with James Madison also selected ahead of ODU.
2009-10 Preseason Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Drexel
2. James Madison
3. Old Dominion
4. Delaware
5. VCU
6. Towson
7. Hofstra
8. UNC Wilmington
9. William and Mary
10. Northeastern
11. Georgia State
12. George Mason
Magic Number 24
Three players have tallied new career highs early this season, all with 24 points scored. Jasmine Parker scored 24 against Maryland to set a new career-high, while Tia Lewis and Shadasia Green both scored 24 against Louisville to set their new mark.
Toughest Schedule in the Nation
Though it's early, the Lady Monarchs schedule has been ranked the toughest in the nation so far, by rpiratings.com. According to the same source, ODU has the 74th best RPI, even with just the 1-5 record. Through six games ODU has faced four teams receiving votes in the national rankings and the six teams combined have gone 39-8 so far this season.
17 Again...
Sophomore forward Tia Lewis tied her career-high with 17 rebounds against Ole Miss, taking over the top spot in the CAA with 9.2 rebounds per game. Lewis had 17 in a game against North Florida during her freshman year while playing for Central Florida and the 17 hauled in against Mississippi tied that mark for the first time as a Lady Monarch. She also posted her first double-double in the game, scoring 15 points for Old Dominion.
On the Road Again
The game against St. Joe's on December 22 will kick off a four-game road swing spanning over two weeks as ODU will face the Hawks and Tennessee to wrap up the non-conference slate and will kick off the CAA schedule at Delaware and Northeastern.
Stop! Thief!
Jasmine Parker is leading the CAA in steals this season, averaging 2.8 per game with 22 thefts already this season. The ODU junior now has 118 career steals, averaging 1.6 per game in her career.