Dec. 22, 2009
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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Lady Monarchs (2-7) got 20 points each from both junior Shadasia Green and sophomore Tia Lewis, but it wasn't enough as ODU lost to Saint Joseph's (4-7) today, 78-62.
Saint Joseph's got eight three-pointers and forced 26 turnovers against the Lady Monarchs to drop ODU for the first time in the all-time series matchup. Old Dominion had won the previous five matchups. In today's game, Lewis scored 22 and Green added 20 as they both scored 20+ for the second time this season.
ODU jumped out on top early, with an 11-3 run to start the game, as Green and Lewis each had four points out of the gate. Saint Joseph's would answer though, and took the lead with timely three-point shooting. The first of five 3-pointers in the half would come with 13:09 remaining as Katie Kuester came off the bench to nail a long-ball and get St. Joe's back within two. On the next possession, it was Michelle Baker that drained a three to give the Hawks the lead.
ODU tied it back up at 22 on a Mairi Buchan free throw with 7:17 remaining in the half, but the Hawks would get three more deep balls in the final five minutes to end the half on a 17-7 run for a ten-point lead at the break. St. Joe's hot shooting from long range saw them ahead 39-29 after the first twenty minutes.
Both teams were over 40% from the field in the first half, but ODU shot just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc while the Hawks managed 5-of-13.
Lewis led the way for ODU in the first half, going 4-for-5 from the field and collecting 10 points with three rebounds, a block and a steal. Leading scorer Shadasia Green added eight points and five boards as well. The Hawks spread the scoring around, led by nine points from Baker, who added three assists and a steal as well.
Right out of the locker room, Jasmine Parker showed the second half intensity for ODU. She jumped into the passing lane for her second steal of the night, leading to a fast break layup for Shadasia Green. The defensive intensity only grew from there, as ODU would force nine turnovers in the first nine minutes of the second half. The defense led to offense as Old Dominion triggered an 11-0 run to get back within two at 49-47 with 13:03 remaining, punctuated by an old fashioned three-point play by Lewis.
Another pair three-pointer would shift the momentum again, though, as Kuester hit one from the top of the key with 9:01 remaining to give St. Joseph's another 10-point lead and then again with 7:30 remaining. She scored eight straight points for the Hawks to give them a 62-52 lead.
Kuester would lead the way for the Hawks in the game, going 5-for-10 from the field including a 4-for-7 night from long range, scoring 14 points. Three others were in double figures for St. Joe's as Michelle Baker and Ashley Logue scored 12 each and Amy Gillespie added ten.
ODU got 22 points from Lewis on 8-of-10 shooting, adding 6-of-7 from the free-throw line to go with six boards. Green again posted a stellar game, scoring 20 points for the second time this season while hauling in a eight rebounds, assisting on two buckets and adding five steals for the second straight game.
The Lady Monarchs are off until December 30 when they travel to face the #4 ranked Lady Vols at the University of Tennessee. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.