NORFOLK, Va. – In a game that the Old Dominion University women’s basketball team (11-12, 4-5) never trailed, the Lady Monarchs defeated Tulsa (10-9, 4-4), the 2013 Conference USA Champions, 65-53, on Wednesday night at the Ted Constant Center, behind a new career high in points from ODU’s junior co-captain forward, Shae Kelley, who netted 27 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Lady Monarchs came storming out of the gates to begin the ballgame, leading 12-2 and forcing a Tulsa timeout after just 1:58 of action, as six of ODU’s points came from the senior co-captain, Stephanie Gardner. Old Dominion would extend their lead to as many as 22 points at the 11:56 mark of the opening half.
With 10:12 remaining in the first half, the Lady Monarchs had already forced 10 Hurricane turnovers, which led to ODU outscoring Tulsa 23-0 on points off turnovers to that point. Tulsa would end the first half on a 22-7 run, cutting their deficit down to seven points (38-31) at the half, behind hot shooting from Kadan Brady (5-6 3PT’s), who led all first half scorers with 17.
Old Dominion would again come out of the gates strong, starting the second half on a 19-7 run, giving ODU a 57-38 advantage with 11:03 remaining in regulation. But the rest of the way, Tulsa’s final 12-point deficit would be as close as the Hurricanes would get to the Lady Monarchs.
Other Lady Monarchs in double figures included Gardner and Chelisa Painter, who scored 10 points apiece; Painter also hauled down eight rebounds in 28 minutes of work. The Lady Monarchs also got contributions from Tiffany Minor (six rebounds and six assists) and freshman Odegua Oigbokie (seven points and five boards) off the bench.
Old Dominion held advantages in points in the paint (40-24), points off turnovers (24-13) and fast-break points (8-0), to go along with converting eight offensive rebounds into 18 second chance points. The Lady Monarchs forced a total of 23 Tulsa turnovers.
For the game, ODU knocked down 35.8% (24-67) of the field-goal attempts, 15% (3-20) from three and 70% (14-20) from the free-throw line. For the 40 minutes, Tulsa connected on 35.8% (19-53) of their shots from the floor, 33.3% (6-18) from downtown and 64.3% (9-14) from the charity stripe.
First Half Notes
Leading the way in the first half for Old Dominion was Shae Kelley’s 13 points and Stephanie Gardner’s 10 points. The Lady Monarchs held advantages in points in the paint (20-6) and points off turnovers (24-5).
For the half, ODU connected on 38.2% (13-34) of the field-goal attempts, 23.1% (3-13) from three and 75% (9-12) from the charity stripe. Tulsa shot 37.5% (9-24) from the floor, 50% (5-10) from downtown and 72.7% (8-11) from the free-throw line.
Next Up for the Lady Monarchs
Old Dominion will be back in action this Saturday, February 8, in Denton, Texas, when the Lady Monarchs will square-off with the Mean Green from North Texas at 3:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. CST.
Don’t Forget!
The ODU Lady Monarchs return home on Saturday, February 15, when they will take on UTEP, at 7:00 p.m. at the Ted Constant Convocation Center, which will be the 12th Annual Hoops for a Cure game!
Next Karen Barefoot Coach’s Show
The next Karen Barefoot Coach’s Show will be Monday, Feb. 10, 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.
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