Jan. 16, 2011
NEWARK, Del. - Senior guard Kquanise Byrd continued her stellar play of late, scoring a career-high 22 points to lead Old Dominion past Colonial Athletic Association rival Delaware, 62-59, at the Bob Carpenter Center Sunday.
Old Dominion (11-5, 5-0 CAA) has now won five consecutive games and seven of its last eight, while Delaware (10-6, 3-2 CAA) lost its first league game at home this season.
Three other Lady Monarchs joined Byrd in double figures as Junior Tia Lewis contributed 13 points and five rebounds, senior Jasmine Parker tallied all of her 11 points in the second half and senior Alena Voronina recorded 10 points and a team-high tying seven rebounds.
Old Dominion began the game slowly, not recording its first field goal until the 14:16 mark of the opening half. Despite shooting just 25 percent from the field and turning it over 14 times in the opening stanza, the Lady Monarchs only trailed by four (22-18) at the intermission.
ODU played nearly the entire first half without Parker, who picked up two fouls before three minutes had been played. The senior guard made her presence felt in the second half though as the backcourt of her and Byrd tallied a combined 26 points in the period.
After the squads exchanged scores to begin the second half, ODU began to full court press the Blue Hens. The pressure sparked a 19-6 Lady Monarch spurt that gave the road team a 40-30 lead with 10:44 to play.
Old Dominion led by 12 with under four minutes to play when Delaware decided to pressure the Lady Monarch ball handlers. ODU handled the press extremely well and despite the Blue Hens drilling a pair of late triples, the Lady Monarchs would hold on with clutch free throw shooting down the stretch. Byrd made both of her attempts, while Lewis and Shadasia Green each hit one.
Delaware has now dropped nine straight to ODU, with the last four coming by a combined seven points. The Lady Monarchs are 16-3 all-time against the Blue Hens.
Old Dominion returns home on Thursday to take on Virginia Commonwealth. The contest will be broadcast on WSKY and Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus. Additionally, Old Dominion head coach Wendy Larry will be going for her 600th career coaching victory. The legendary head coach currently has a 599-228 overall record.
Tickets remain for the contest with VCU that is set to tip at 7 p.m. Children will be admitted free to the game with the purchase of an adult ticket. For more information, contact the Athletic Ticket office at 683-4444.
-ODU-