Dec. 6, 2012
FRIDAY RUNDOWN
Friday, Dec. 7 - 11:00 a.m.
North Carolina Central (0-9) at Old Dominion (5-1)
Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,600) - Norfolk, Va.
94.1 ESPN Radio
Play-by-play: Tony Mercurio
Color: Susan Montgomery
Friday Live Stats: Gametracker
Friday Live Audio/Video: ODUSports.com
ODU Game Notes
NORFOLK, Va. - The Old Dominion University women's basketball team closes out their three-game homestand on Friday as they host North Carolina Central for an early 11 a.m. tip-off at the Ted Constant Convocation on Education Day.
EDUCATION DAYFriday marks the second annual Education Day game for ODU women's basketball. Brought in by head coach Karen Barefoot last season, thousands of kids from local elementary schools pour into the Ted Constant Conovcation Center to cheer on the Lady Monarchs.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Old Dominion is ranked in the top-20 nationally out of 343 teams in the following categories: #15 in three-point FG defense (21.1%), #17 in scoring defense (50.0 ppg) and #20 in turnover margin (7.33). The Lady Monarch have forced 147 turnovers in six games this year (24.5 ppg).
SERIES HISTORY
Friday’s meeting will be the first meeting ever between Old Dominion and North Carolina Central in women’s hoops.
SCOUTING THE LADY EAGLES
The Lady Eagles have struggled out of the gate this season coming it 0-9 on the year. Friday will be NCCU’s eighth road contest of the season. They are coming off a 65-28 loss at East Carolina on Tuesday night.
Head Coach Vanessa Taylor enters her first season at the helm of the North Carolina Central women’s basketball program after serving as head coach of Johnson C. Smith and Elizabeth City State for 18 years.
Only five of the 14 letterwinners from a year ago are returning to this season’s squad, but four of those five returning Lady Eagles started 15 games or more in 2011-12.
Redshirt senior Chasidy Williams tops the list of returners. Williams (6-0, guard/forward, Fayetteville, N.C.) led the team with 426 points (14.7 ppg), 217 rebounds (7.5 rpg), 67 steals (2.3 spg), 20 blocked shots and 985 minutes played (34.0 mpg), while appearing in 29 games, including 28 as a starter.
Williams is averaging 8.9 points per game this season to lead the team to along with 21 steals. Tiffany Gary is averaging 7.0 rebounds per contest to go with 4.9 points per game.
LAST TIME OUT
Mairi Buchan scored a career-high 23 points to lead ODU over Dartmouth on Dec. 2, 73-59.
The Lady Monarchs overcame a sluggish start as they went 0-for-10 from the field to start the game while Dartmouth started 9-for-12 and shot 59.1 percent in the first half. The Lady Monarchs forced 15 turnovers before half to climb back into things and closed on a 23-9 run going into break and never trailed again.
In the second half, ODU turned up the pressure defensively as they held the Big Green to 27.3 percent from the field. Senior Jackie Cook ignited the offense scoring 10 of her 19 points in the second half including a pair of three-pointers as the Lady Monarchs shot 46.4 percent from the field after halftime.
Karen Barefoot
ODU head coach Karen Barefoot enters her 14th year as a head coach in 2012-13 and 200 plus wins in her career as she leads the Lady Monarch program in year two. As head coach at the Apprentice School in 2001, she led the Builders to a National Championship in the school's first ever women's sport while taking Lenoir-Rhyne the NCAA Tournament in the 2002-03 season. In 2010-11 while at Elon, she led the Phoenix to the WBI, the schools first ever women's basketball tournament appearance. The last time that ODU made the NCAA Tournament was in 2008 when Barefoot was an assistant coach for the Lady Monarchs and helped them make the Sweet 16.
HOLIDAY SPIRIT
The team paid a visit just before Thanksgiving to the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughter (CHKD) to spend time with patients. In addition, the Lady Monarchs are also participating in the Operation Christmas Child project this year.
Redshirt senior Mairi Buchan is the Vice President of SAAC at ODU and spearheaded the campaign for the upcoming holiday period that all student-athletes could help people less privileged by filling a minimum of two boxes that included anything from toys to bath soap (items that children in underprivileged areas or war-torn countries may not have easy access to). The goal is to give the children something to smile about in what may be a difficult time for them.
KAREN BAREFOOT SHOW
The Karen Barefoot Coach's Shows continue to pack the house at YNot Pizza in the Village behind the Ted. Joined by host Doug Ripley, Barefoot reviews the previous week's game and gives insight into the upcoming Lady Monarch matchups all season long. The next show is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 11th at 6 p.m.
LADY MONARCHS INK TWO
Coach Barefoot announced the addition of Odegua Oigbokie and Destinee Young who signed letters of intent to play for the Lady Monarchs next fall on Nov. 14.
Oigbokie is a highly touted forward from Ridgeway High School in Memphis, Tenn., while Young is a power forward out of Hoffman Estates High School in Hoffmann Estates, Ill.
Oigbokie, who is 6-foot-1, averaged 18 points and eight rebounds as a junior and has been named all-district and all-region for Ridgeway the past two seasons. Young, who is also 6-foot-1, averaged 15.4 points and 11 rebounds as a junior at Hoffman Estates High School, where she already is the record holder for career rebounds and single-season blocks.
Out of the five recruits that second-year head coach Karen Barefoot has landed at ODU, four have been rated as three stars or better by ESPN. The other three were local freshmen guards Galaisha Goodhope out of Norfolk and LaQuanda Younger of Newport News and forward Chelisa Painter from Chesapeake who is sitting out this season after transferring from George Washington.
NEWCOMERS
Head Coach Karen Barefoot added three freshmen this season in local talented guards Galaisha Goodhope and LaQuanda Younger along with center Brittany Martin out of the New York. Transferring in are forward Shae Kelley and Miami (FL) transfer guard Stephanie Gardner. The incoming class is ranked the best in the CAA and No. 42 in the country overall.
FEATURED LADY MONARCH
After the game, freshman Galaisha Goodhope will be the featured Lady Monarch for Friday and will be signing autographs for fans out in the Constant Center lobby at the guest services booth.
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