NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion’s Stephanie Gardner scored a game high 20 points, but it was Virginia Tech’s Taijah Campbell and Monet Tellier’s 19 points apiece that lifted their Hokies over the Lady Monarchs, 73-61. The two teams shared the lead 11 times, while eight lead changes took place on Monday night at the Ted Constant Center.
Campbell shot a blistering 9-10 from the floor and snatched down 11 rebounds in her 35 minutes of work. Tellier hit on seven of her 12 attempts and connected on five of eight free-throws on Monday.
For the game, Virginia Tech shot 46% from the floor compared to ODU’s 32%. Old Dominion was able to get to the charity stripe 30 times on Monday night; however, they only connected on 17 of those attempts for 57%.
It was Old Dominion’s defense that kept them in the game, as they were able to force 18 Virginia Tech turnovers, while scoring 20 points off those turnovers. Neither team shot the ball well from outside as VT went 6-18 (33%), and Old Dominion shot 4-18 (22%) from behind the arc.
The Hokies also received big performances from Vanessa Panousis (6-6 FT’s), who scored 12 points and dished out five assists, as well as Hannah Young who racked up 10 points and 10 boards.
The Lady Monarchs also had their junior forward from Denver, Colo., Shae Kelley tally 13 points and haul down nine rebounds. Old Dominion freshman, Odegua Oigbokie went for a career high nine points and four rebounds in just 12 minutes of playing time.
FIRST HALF
Six and half minutes into the first half, Old Dominion and Virginia Tech were nodded at 11 apiece. The Hokies and Lady Monarchs were level again at the 9:15 mark, 20-20, behind eight points each from ODU's Shae Kelley and Tech's Taijah Campbell. Free throw attempts were a major disparity between the two teams when the under-eight media timeout was whistled, as ODU was 8-12, while VT had yet to attempt a shot from the charity stripe.
With 3:21 to play, the Hokies and Lady Monarchs endured the eighth tie of the contest (31-31), while a total of two lead changes had taken place.
At the half, the two teams went to their locker rooms in the ninth tie of the game at 35-35. Virginia Tech’s Taijah Campbell led all scorers with 14 after going a perfect 7-7 from the field. VT’s Monet Tellier scored 10 first-half points. The Lady Monarchs were led by senior Stephanie Gardner (9 points) and junior Shae Kelley (8 points).
ODU held a 10-0 advantage on fast-break points, outscored the Hokies 13-5 on points off turnovers, as well as points in the paint (22-20).After the first 20 minutes, bench points were even (8-8), while Virginia Tech held an advantage on second chance points, 13-5.
NEXT UP
The Lady Monarchs will be back in action on Sunday, November 17 at 2 p.m., when they will play host to Radford for Girl Scout Day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ashley Betz-White, a 5-4 guard on the Lady Monarch basketball team has been sidelined with a lower leg injury. As of now, Betz-White is day-to-day but will be evaluated by the team physician next Wednesday for a more definite prognosis and timetable.
Betz-White played in 29 games, starting 23 times and playing 19.4 minutes per contest last year. A guard from Mechanicsburg, Pa., she led ODU in assists with 67 and was third on the team in steals with 41. Betz-White averaged 5.4 ppg, 2.3 apg and 1.6 rpg during her 2012-13 campaign. She garnered Rookie of the Year honors from the CAA in 2011-12.
Be sure to follow ODU Women’s Basketball at @ODUWBB on Twitter and ‘Like’ the ODU Lady Monarch Basketball page by clicking HERE to stay up to date with the latest news and coverage.