Nov. 26, 2010
NORFOLK, Va. - Senior Jasmine Parker tied her career-high with 24 points and junior Tia Lewis had her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds as Old Dominion topped BIG EAST foe Louisville, 69-65, in front of 3,038 fans at the Constant Center Friday evening.
Parker, who had 23 points at NC State on Tuesday, shot 9-of-15 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc to lead Old Dominion (3-1). Lewis' effort now gives her 22 career double-doubles. Senior Shadasia Green chipped in 10 points, including six during a critical 12-0 ODU second half run.
Louisville (3-3) had four players hit for double-figures, including freshman guard Shoni Schimmel, who tallied a team-best 19 points and six assists. The Cardinals, whose other two losses this season came against No. 4 Tennessee and at No. 5 Xavier, outrebounded ODU 51-39, but only had 11 second chance points off 22 offensive rebounds.
With the game tied at halftime, Louisville came out of the locker room hot. The Cardinals commenced the second half on a 16-9 run to go up 51-44 at the 12:21 mark.
Old Dominion responded with its biggest run of the game, a 12-0 spurt that gave the Lady Monarchs a 56-51 lead midway through the second stanza. Green had the final six points of the run, which gave ODU its largest lead of the contest.
Louisville scored the next seven points and a Becky Burke three-point field goal gave the Cardinals a 61-60 lead with 4:52 remaining.
On ODU's next possession, Parker canned a deep triple and the Lady Monarchs wouldn't relinquish the lead from that point. After a UofL basket tied the game at 63, Lewis converted a traditional three-point play to give Old Dominion a three-point advantage with just over three minutes on the clock.
With Louisville trailing 67-65 with 41 seconds remaining, Schimmel missed the front end of a one-and-one and Parker raced the length of the court and converted a lay-in to seal the game.
Both squads shot 39.1 percent for the game, but the Cardinals went 6-of-14 from the charity stripe.
Old Dominion scored the first two buckets of the game, including a Kquanise Byrd three-point field goal that gave the Lady Monarchs a 5-0 lead just over two minutes into the game. Louisville responded with a 14-7 run, capped by a Schimmel triple that gave the Cardinals their first lead of the game (14-12) at the 11:27 mark.
Neither team led by more than five in the tight first half and the squads were deadlocked at 35 entering the intermission.
Old Dominion will be on the road next, traveling to Gainesville, Florida to take on the Gators out of the Southeastern Conference. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. from the 12,000-seat Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
-ODU-