Dec. 5, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. - In the first conference game of the year, Old Dominion (5-3, 1-0) halted their three-game losing streak with a 65-44 win over the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (1-6, 0-1). Forwards Keyon Carter (Riviera Beach, Fla.) and Gerald Lee (Uusikaupunki, Finland) paced the Monarchs in the victory, going 12-for-18 with 29 points combined.
Lee led the Monarchs in the first half, scoring 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the frame. He added two assists, a steal and a rebound as Old Dominion stretched the lead to 13 at the break. Sophomore Kent Bazemore and Carter each had seven points, while Carter added a team-high six rebounds and three steals.The three thefts tied his career mark in just the first half; he had two more in the second to set a new career-high with five.
Delaware shot 40% from the field in the first half, but only took 20 shots as ODU held the Fightin' Blue Hens to just 20 first half points. It was the second lowest total in a half this season for Delaware. Hakim McCullar had six points to lead the way as Jawan Carter added five. Kelvin McNeil led all players in rebounds with seven in the first 20 minutes.
The Monarchs opened the second half on a 15-2 run, adding some distance and turning the 13-point halftime lead into a 26-point advantage with 13 minutes remaining. Delaware did not score their first bucket of the second half until the 13:13 mark. ODU would extend the lead to a game-high 28 with 10:40 remaining on a Gerald Lee jumper.
Delaware closed the gap to 18 but Old Dominion closed out the CAA foe in the final minutes, winning by a final of 65-44.
Lee scored a game-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, adding five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Carter was right behind, scoring 13 points with a team-high seven rebounds and the career-high five steals. Bazemore added nine points, while Marsharee Neely and Frank Hassell each had eight in the win.
Delaware was led by Kelvin McNeil with a double-double, scoring 10 points and adding 10 rebounds. McCullar added eight points and Malcolm Hawkins also had eight.
ODU shot 46.2% from the field on 24-of-52 shooting while holding the Blue Hens to 34.6% on 18-of-52 shooting.
Old Dominion returns to the win column for the first time in four games, improving their overall record to 5-3 with a 1-0 mark in conference action. ODU returns to the court at the Ted Constnat Convocation Center this Tuesday, December 8 at 7:00 p.m. as the Monarchs host Mount St. Mary's.