Dec. 30, 2009
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Old Dominion suffered a loss to the fourth-ranked Lady Vols of the University of Tennessee (11-1) in the non-conference finale tonight, by a final score of 102-62. Sophomore Tia Lewis (Poulan, Ga.) posted her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. ODU concludes one of the toughest non-conference schedules with a 2-8 record.
The Lady Monarchs opened the game scoreless in the first 4:27, going 0-8 from the field with two turnovers jumpstarting the Lady Vols to an 11-0 lead. The home team shot 5-of-7 before ODU got their first bucket of the game on a Jasmine Parker spot-up jumper from the elbow.
The bucket from Parker ignited the Lady Monarchs, scoring 13 points in the next five minutes. The Lady Monarchs scored on five of their next seven possessions, but Angie Bjorklund was able to keep the distance for the Lady Vols, scoring 11 points in the first 10 minutes. She would finish with 16 before the intermission.
Tennessee would extend its lead in the first half, getting it all the way up to 26 at the break, 57-31. Bjorklund led the way with 16. Kamiko Williams and Glory Johnson each went 4-for-4 in the first, adding nine points each.
The Lady Monarchs shooting improved, going 11-for-33 (.333), but could not catch Tennessee in the first half, shooting a scorching 70.3% from the field. Tennessee missed just 11 shots in the first half, pouring in 26 made field goals on 37 attempted shots.
ODU was held scoreless again at the start of the second half, going 0-5 in the first 4:18. The drought ended with a jumpshot in the paint from Mairi Buchan. Shadasia Green and freshman Carolann Cloutier added their first points of the second half for a small 6-0 run for ODU, but a pair of free-throws and a long 3-pointer from reserve Briana Bass got the lead back to 33 with 13:41 remaining.
The Lady Vols would see their lead reach to a game-high of 44 points, a season-high deficit for the Lady Monarchs. Lewis scored four points in the final minute, with a steal in the open court and a breakaway lay-in with 42 seconds remaining. The score gave her 11 points in the game, her sixth straight double-digit effort. She also hauled in 10 rebounds for ODU, marking her third double-double of the season.
Bjorklund had a game-high 19 points in just 20 minutes of action, knocking down 8-of-12 shots including a trio of three-pointers. Four other Lady Vols were in double figures, all coming off the bench. Alyssia Brewer had 16 points, 6 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting and Glory Johnson added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting. Kamiko Williams and Briana Bass each had 11.
Old Dominion got double figures from Lewis, Green (12) and Jasmine Parker (13). Parker added four rebounds and four assists, while posting a season low-tying two turnovers.
As a team, ODU shot 35.3% from the field on 24-of-68 shooting while the Lady Vols finished a remarkable 67.2% from the floor. It was just the sixth time in ODU history an opponent hit triple digits, with the last occurrence coming against Tennessee on January 3, 2000 in Knoxville.
The Lady Monarchs stay out on the road as they open conference play this weekend with the first game of the new decade. ODU travels to Delaware (8-3), riding a six-game winning streak behind one of the nation's hottest players. Elena Delle Donne has scored 60 points in her last two games and has posted double-digits in all nine of her games. The game will tip at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 3 at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark.