WHAT: 2014 South Point Holiday Hoops Classic
WHO: ODU vs. Miami (Ohio) AND ODU vs. UIC
WHEN: Sat., Dec. 20 at 8PM EST (ODU/Miami of Ohio) AND Sun., Dec. 21 at 9:30PM EST (ODU/UIC)
WHERE: South Point Arena and Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
MEDIA: ESPN Radio 94.1 FM (Hampton Roads)/Monarch Media (Live Audio Stream)/Live Pregame Show Begins at 7:30PM EST on Dec. 20 and at 9:00PM EST on Dec. 21
OLD DOMINION PROBABLE STARTERS
No. 03 Chelisa Painter (F/RSr./6-1/Chesapeake, Va.)
No. 11 Ashley Betz-White (G/RJr./5-4/Harrisburg, Pa.)
No. 25 Jennie Simms (F/RSo./6-0/Accokeek, Md.)
No. 32 Tiffany Minor (G/Sr./6-0/Upper Marlboro, Md.)
No. 40 Destinee Young (F/So./6-1/Hoffman Estates, Ill.)
MIAMI (OHIO) PROBABLE STARTERS
No. 12 Hannah McCure (F/Jr./6-0/Rocky River, Ohio)
No. 14 Courtney Larson (G/Sr./5-9/Columbus, Ind.)
No. 15 Kayla Brown (G/Fr./6-2/Westfield, Ind.)
No. 24 Baleigh Reid (G/Fr./5-10/Twinsburg, Ohio)
No. 42 Jessica Rupright (F/Jr./6-2/Ossian, Ind.)
UIC PROBABLE STARTERS
No. 1 Melita Emanuel-Carr (G/So./5-10/London, England)
No. 10 Terri Bender (G/Jr./5-7/Milwaukee, Wisc.)
No. 12 Ruvanna Campbell (F/RJr./6-3/Chicago, Ill.)
No. 30 Caitlin Garant (C/Jr./6-2/Chicago, Ill.)
No. 45 Gisselle Truiett (F/Sr./5-10/Baltimore, Md.)
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Old Dominion University women’s basketball team (5-3) will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2014 South Point Holiday Hoops Classic, which will entail two games in two days. On Sat. Dec. 20, the Lady Monarchs will face Miami (Ohio) (2-5) at 8:00 p.m. EST. On Sun., Dec. 21, ODU will have a showdown with UIC (8-1) at 9:30 p.m. EST. Both games will be played at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center.
DID YOU KNOW
Current UIC head coach Regina Miller graduated from ODU in 1984 and earned Second Team All-Sun Belt honors that same year. Miller also served as an assistant coach under Wendy Larry for the Lady Monarchs from 1987-92.
HOW TO TUNE IN
Saturday and Sunday’s contests will be audio streamed live via Monarch Media on ODUSports.com and will also air live on ESPN 94.1 FM Hampton Roads with Doug Ripley (Voice of the Lady Monarchs) on play by play and former Lady Monarch assistant coach Susan Montgomery handling the color duties.
ALL-TIME SERIES
This weekend will be the first time the Lady Monarchs have ever played Miami (Ohio) or UIC, respectively.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS WITH THE LADY MONARCHS
Old Dominion enters this weekend’s contests with a 5-3 overall record with key wins at Virginia Tech and against VCU. The Lady Monarchs are only allowing 60.6 points per game, while opponents shoot just 38.0% from the floor against ODU. Old Dominion averages forcing 15.1 turnovers and 7.4 steals a contest.
Jennie Simms has led the Lady Monarchs so far this season with 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest. Chelisa Painter is also averaging double figures (10.6 ppg) to go along with 6.4 boards a ballgame. Tiffany Minor averages 8.9 points to compliment 5.5 rebounds per game.
Ashley-Betz White currently leads the squad in assists (21) and ties the team lead for steals (with LaQuanda Younger with 10 a piece). Destinee Young is Old Dominion’s leading rebounder averaging 7.3 per contest, with 21 of her 58 total boards coming on the offensive end. Young is the Lady Monarchs leading shot blocker with 14 rejections so far this season.
ABOUT MIAMI (OHIO) (2-5)
The RedHawks will enter the weekend with a 2-5 overall record, while averaging 59.1 points per game. So far this season Miami has turned the ball over 20.6 times a contest.
Miami features four returning players and seven newcomers. Miami’s most experienced player is senior point guard Courtney Larson (3.3 ppg/3.7 rpg). Junior forward Jessica Rupright is Miami’s leading returner scorer. She is averaging 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds so far this season. Leading the way for Miami (Ohio) is Baleigh Reid, who nets 11.9 ppg and 2.7 rpg. Ana Richter is also averaging double digits this season with 10.0 points and 7.4 rebounds.
ABOUT UIC (8-1)
UIC head coach Regina Miller graduated from ODU in 1984 and served as an assistant coach for the Lady Monarchs from 1987-92. Miller later won 175 games over ten seasons (1998-2008) as the head coach at UNLV.
Redshirt junior Ruvanna Campbell earned preseason recognition as the 6-foot-3 forward was voted Preseason First Team All-Horizon League. Meanwhile, UIC was selected to finish fourth in the Horizon League standings. Campbell has received two preseason honors this fall. She was previously named College Sports Madness Preseason First Team All-Horizon League on Oct. 18.
UIC is coming off the best season in school history, with a program-record 26 wins and the nation’s largest turnaround (17 more wins than 2012-13). The Flames were crowned champions of the 2014 Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) following their victory over Stephen F. Austin on March 29.
UIC won 11 straight games from Nov. 15, 2013 - Jan. 3, 2014, which tied the longest win streak in program history. The 2013-14 squad broke program records for points scored (2,598), scoring average (74.2 ppg), field goals made (940), rebounds (1,503), free throws made (557) and assists (526).
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