Feb. 18, 2010
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ATLANTA, Ga. -- The ODU Lady Monarchs (14-10, 12-2 CAA) narrowly escaped Georgia with a win on the last possession of the game, tonight, defeating Georgia State (13-12, 4-10 CAA), 63-61. With 7.3 seconds on the clock, Jasmine Parker would dribble coast-to-coast and find Tia Lewis, who knocked down the layup on the left side with six-tenths of a second left on the clock and was fouled.
The basket and ensuing free-throw gave ODU a 63-61 win over the Panthers, earning their seventh straight win in games decided by single digits. That stretch included a 4-point victory over Georgia State in Norfolk earlier this season.
The play was set up after Georgia State erased a 16-point first half lead from the Lady Monarchs and had gone up by as many as three in the second half. ODU's lead was answered in the final four minutes of the first half, as the Panthers went on a 12-4 run, powered by a pair of three-pointers from Brittany Graham.
ODU was led by JoNiquia Guilford, who had a new career-high by halftime and was also just one rebound shy of her career mark at the break. She had eight points and five rebounds to help lead ODU to an eight-point lead at halftime.
GSU would keep coming out of the break, scoring the first four in the second half and kicking off the second 20 minutes on a 13-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 44-43.
Senior Jessica Canady would halt the run with a short jumper in the paint with 12:40 remaining in the game, getting ODU back in front, 45-44. The Lady Monarchs would go up by six again, 54-48, on a Kquanise Byrd trey with 9:06 remaining, but were held scoreless for nearly six minutes after the bucket.
Georgia State's leading scorer Danyiell McKeller knocked down an impressive three-point play with 6:51 remaining to get Georgia State back to within one point, 54-53, and Angellique Burtts hit her layup on the next possession to give the Panthers the lead with under six minutes to play.
With the lead extended to a game-high three for the Panthers, junior Shadasia Green knocked down both of her one-and-one free-throws after a long media timeout with under four minutes remaining. On the next Lady Monarch possession, ODU looked again to senior Jessica Canady to make a play as she snuck out off the low block behind her defender and got a great pass from Green before hitting the baseline jumper.
The two teams would trade baskets as Georgia State pulled back within one in the final minute. After an ODU miss, Tia Lewis was called for an open-court foul on Crystal Johnson with 7.3 seconds remaining, who would go to the line and knock down both of her one-and-one attempts to take a 61-60 lead.
That would set up the final play from Parker, who finished with just three points, but the marquee assist in the final seconds. Lewis finished with 10, scoring the last three of the game, and also hauled in nine rebounds for the Lady Monarchs. Junior Shadasia Green led ODU with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a 7-for-10 night from the free-throw line. Senior Jessica Canady added 15 points and eight rebounds as well for ODU.
Shay Rawls poured in a career-high 22 points with her double-double for the Panthers, hauling in a game-high 11 rebounds as well. Three Georgia State players finished in double figures, with McKeller's 16 and Burtt's 10.
ODU will head home to play James Madison this Sunday, February 21 at 3:00 p.m. in the annual Hoops for a Cure Pink Zone game. The game promotes breast cancer awareness and research through the WBCA and will be televised on Comcast.