GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Old Dominion University women’s basketball team (9-12, 2-5) lost to East Carolina (17-3, 5-2) in heartbreaking fashion, 64-63, on Thursday afternoon at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. With the win, the Pirates extended their home winning streak to 24, a streak that dates all the way back to November 12, 2012. Throughout this streak, only UAB and ODU have come within a single point of winning in Greenville, NC.
Shae Kelley led the way for Old Dominion, netting 20 points and grabbing five boards, while teammate Chelisa Painter recorded a double-double in a 13 point, 11 rebound performance. Becca Allison went a perfect 11-11 from the line and finished with 13 points on the day.
ECU’s Jada Payne led all scorers with 23 points to go along with nine rebounds. Shae Nelson scored 17 points off the bench for the Pirates; teammate Abria Trice also finished in double figures with 12 points and nine boards.
With 7.7 seconds left in the first half, Galaisha Goodhope dribbled down the length of the court and missed a runner, only to have teammate Chelisa Painter tip the ball in just before time expired to tie the game up at 33 all.
Old Dominion scored the second half’s first field goal, before the Pirates reeled off a 7-0 run to take a 40-35 lead with just over 16 minutes to play. East Carolina stretched their lead to 46-38 at the 11:41 mark, and then expanded their advantage to the largest lead of the game, 51-40, with 10:51 to play in regulation.
The Lady Monarchs would respond with an 8-0 run, cutting their deficit down to 51-48 with 7:53 to play. At the final media timeout (3:48), East Carolina was clinging to a 56-52 advantage. A Goodhope three-pointer with 1:09 remaining, pulled Old Dominion within four points, 61-57. Shae Kelley then went 1-2 from the free-throw line to pull ODU within three points, before ECU’s Janesha Ebron also went 1-2 from the charity stripe, extending the Pirates lead to 62-58 with 41 seconds showing on the game clock.
ODU pulled within two points (62-60) with 20.8 seconds left, then fouled Ebron, who knocked down both of her free-throws, giving the Pirates a 64-60 lead with 13.3 remaining. On the ensuing possession, Shae Kelley was whistled for a walking violation, but ODU would steal ECU’s inbounds pass, which led to Tiffany Minor banking in a three-pointer just before time expired, making for a 64-63 Pirates’ victory.
For the game, the Lady Monarchs shot 14-35 (36.2%) from the floor, 3-12 (25%) from three and 18-25 (72%) from the free-throw line. East Carolina shot 22-56 (39.3%) from the floor, 6-16 (37.5%) from downtown and 14-17 (82.4%) from the charity stripe.
Thursday’s game entailed a total of seven ties and five lead changes. With the loss, ODU’s 28 consecutive games of defeating ECU has ended. Thursday’s game between the Lady Monarchs and Pirates was originally scheduled to be played on Wednesday; however, due to inclement weather and adverse traveling conditions. East Carolina is the only Conference USA team that Old Dominion plays twice this season, as the two teams will square off again in Norfolk on March 5th, for the grand finale of the 2013-14 regular season.
First Half Notes
Eight minutes into the ballgame, East Carolina jumped out to a 9-6 lead over Old Dominion, as Jada Payne scored seven of those points for the Pirates. The Lady Monarchs shot just 3-16 out of the gates, before knocking down six consecutive shots and taking their largest lead of the game, 19-13, with 7:46 showing on the first half’s game clock.
ECU responded with a 9-2 run, taking a 22-21 lead at the 5:16 mark. Both teams would then go back and forth, bringing the score to 30-28 in favor of the Pirates with just 2:37 remaining in the opening half.
At the half, Old Dominion and East Carolina were all nodded up at 33 apiece. ECU’s Jada Payne (six rebounds) led all scorers with 13 points, while ODU’s Shae Kelley (five rebounds) closely followed with 12 points. Shae Nelson contributed nine points for the Pirates. ODU’s Chelisa Painter was the first half’s leading rebounder with eight boards to compliment her seven points.
For the half, Old Dominion shot 40% (14-35) from the floor, 16.7% (1-6) from three-point range and 44.4% (4-9) from the free-throw line. Compared to East Carolina shooting 36.7% (11-30) from the floor, 42.9% (3-7) from downtown and 80% (8-10) from the charity stripe.
Next Up for the Lady Monarchs
Old Dominion will return home on Saturday, February 1, when they will take on Marshall, at 7:00 p.m. Saturday’s game at the Ted Constant Convocation Center will also be Barefoot Night!
Another Key Date
Saturday, Feb 15 - vs. UTEP - 7:00 p.m. (Hoops for a Cure)
Next Karen Barefoot Coach’s Show
The next Karen Barefoot Coach’s Show will be Monday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. at YNot Pizza and Italian Cuisine in the University Village, hosted by the Voice of the Lady Monarchs, Doug Ripley, on ESPN Radio 94.1.
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.