Jan. 2, 2010
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Game 11
Sunday, January 3rd - 2:00 p.m. (EST)
Old Dominion University Lady Monarchs (2-8, 0-0 CAA) at
University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (8-3, 0-0 CAA)
Bob Carpenter Center (5,000) - Newark, Del.
TV: None
Radio: ESPN Radio 94.1 FM
Online Audio: Monarch TV
Online Video: None
NEWARK, Del. -- The Lady Monarchs (2-8, 0-0 CAA) will stay out on the road, traveling to the University of Delaware (8-3, 0-0 CAA) for the league opener this Sunday, January 3 at 2:00 p.m. ODU has an 18-game win streak in CAA openers, dating back to the first year they entered the league in 1992.
ODU will open the new decade against a familiar conference foe in Delaware, featuring an unfamiliar star. The Fightin' Blue Hens are led by one of the nation's finest rookies, Elena Delle Donne, averaging 23.4 points per game ranking her seventh in the country. Old Dominion has won five straight against Delaware, boasting a 13-3 advantage in the all-time series.
ODU got a third double-double from Tia Lewis against the fourth ranked Lady Vols last game, as she scored 11 points and hauled in 10 rebounds. Junior Jasmine Parker continued to excel against steep competion, posting her third double-digit scoring effort against a team in the national polls. Parker had a team-high 13 points against 4th ranked Tennessee, while also leading the team with 16 against #2 Stanford and 24 against #20 Maryland earlier this season.
Today's Game:
All-Time Series - ODU holds a 13-3 advantage in the all-time series against Delaware, dating back to the 2002 season. Old Dominion has won five straight against the Fightin' Blue Hens, including a 70-55 victory at the Ted Constant Convocation Center last season.
About the Fightin' Blue Hens - Delaware is off to another hot start, going 8-3 in the non-conference schedule behind a dominant season from newcomer Elena Delle Donne. The rookie is averaging 23.4 points per game ranking her seventh in the nation and second behind only JMU's Dawn Evans in league scoring this year. Delaware has won all but one game she has played this season, going 8-1 with her in the lineup. She has scored at least 17 points in every game so far this season. The 6-5 guard/forward is also the league leader in rebounding, with 9.0 boards per game. A triple threat, she is also leading the team in assists, with 3.1 per game.
Though Delle Donne is clearly the best weapon Delaware has, the Fightin' Blue Hens are not lacking depth. Head Coach Tina Martin rotates ten consistently, with five more on the bench already providing minutes. Ten different Fightin' Blue Hens have at least two starts this season.
Tesia Harris has started 10 games this season and is averaging 13.1 points per, while adding 4.2 rebounds per game and 17 total assists. The guard is shooting 44% from long range with 22 3-pointers so far this season, averaging over three per contest.
The team just got Kayla Miller back after sitting out a year due to NCAA Transfer Regulations. Miller is a true point guard who already has nine assists in just two games back. She is also third on the team in scoring with 7.5 points per game.
As a team, Delaware is averaging just 63.6 points per game, but are a 40.3% shooting team. They can also shoot the long ball well, currently at a 38.4% clip for the season.
CAA Openers:
Old Dominion is 18-0 in CAA openers. Here's how the Lady Monarchs have done in all their 18 CAA openers. ODU opens the CAA portion of its schedule at home on Sunday, January 3rd against Delaware.
91-92at William & MaryW, 70-51
92-93at George MasonW, 81-48
93-94VCUW, 80-49
94-95at VCUW, 71-54
95-96at RichmondW, 79-36
96-97RichmondW, 89-53
97-98at William & MaryW, 94-53
98-99at UNC WilmingtonW, 104-60
99-00at UNC WilmingtonW, 84-65
00-01at UNC WilmingtonW, 74-59
01-02TowsonW, 82-26
02-03UNC Wilmington W, 71-58
03-04at William & MaryW, 75-58
04-05at James MadisonW, 70-58
05-06at VCUW, 82-62
06-07at VCUW, 81-70
07-08at Georgia StateW, 79-59
08-09VCUW, 69-68
1200 And Counting...
With the non-conference finale against Tennessee, the Lady Monarchs reached 1200 games played in the history of the program. ODU joins a select group of just eight programs to play 1200 games in their histories. They are Tennessee Tech, Tennessee, Stephen F. Austin, Long Beach State, Kansas State, James Madison, and Hofstra. ODU ranks second in winning percentage among these eight teams, going 892-308 over the past 41 years for a .743 success rate.
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 892-308 (.744) 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 was ranked the toughest in the nation through six games, by rpiratings.com. Before the game against #4 Tennessee, ODU's schedule was still ranked the toughest in the CAA and was 33rd nationally.
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 kicked 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.