WHO: VCU at Old Dominion
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Ted Constant Center (Norfolk, Va.)
MEDIA: COX TV/ESPN Radio 94.1 FM (Hampton Roads)/Monarch Media (Live Stream)/Live Pregame Show Begins at 6:30 p.m.
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. 34 Odegua Oigbokie (F/So./6-1/Memphis, Tenn.)
VCU PROBABLE STARTERS
No. 2 Monnazjea Finney-Smith (G/So./6-1/Portsmouth, Va.)
No. 34 Keira Robinson (G/So./5-8/Columbia, SC)
No. 44 Camille Calhoun (G/F/So./6-0/Bowie, Md.)
No. 45 Isis Thorpe (G/So./5-8/Reading, Pa.)
No. 55 Melaine Royster (F/C/RJr./6-3/Bowie, Md.)
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion University women’s basketball team (4-2) will play in its third game in six days when the Lady Monarchs play host to the VCU Rams (4-3) on Friday, Dec. 5 at the Ted Constant Center at 7:00 p.m.
HOW TO TUNE IN
VCU at ODU will air live on COX TV with Ted Alexander on play-by-play and ODU Hall of Famer Marianne Stanley handling color duties.
Friday’s contest will also be video streamed live in HD through 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 Susan Montgomery (former Lady Monarch assistant coach) handling color duties. The live pregame show from the Ted will air at 6:30 p.m.
ALL-TIME SERIES
56-15, ODU
Wednesday’s contest will be the 72 meeting between the Rams of VCU and the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs. The last encounter between the two teams was on December 30, 2013 when the Rams beat the Lady Monarchs 81-68 at the Siegel Center in Richmond, VA.
ABOUT THE LADY MONARCHS
Old Dominion enters Wednesday’s contest with a 4-2 overall record. The Lady Monarchs are only allowing 56.8 points per game, while opponents shoot 36.3% from the floor against ODU. Old Dominion averages forcing 15.2 turnovers a contest.
Jennie Simms has led the Lady Monarchs so far this season with 16.2 points and 7.2 rebounds. Chelisa Painter is also averaging double figures (11.3 ppg) to go along with 6.5 boards a contest. Tiffany Minor averages 8.3 points to compliment 5.8 rebounds per game.
ODU’s LAST TIME OUT
Wednesday’s contest marked the first ever sellout at the Ted Constant Center (8,472) for the Old Dominion women’s basketball team (4-2), in a game that Lady Monarchs cruised past Howard (0-7) by a score of 75-54.
The crowd of 8,472 is the seventh highest attendance ever in the state of Virginia to watch a regular season college women’s basketball game. Wednesday’s crowd was the second largest for a Lady Monarchs regular season game ever, the first coming on Feb. 20, 1981 when the Norfolk Scope drew 10,277 to watch ODU fall to LA Tech, 75-59.
Wednesday’s ballgame also marked the 4th annual Education Day game with the Norfolk Public Schools, which allows elementary schools throughout the school system to attend the game. This year’s game included more than 7,000 school children, which is up from 6,300 last year, with 34 of 34 schools participating.
Four Lady Monarchs netted double figures, as Jennie Simms led the way with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal. Destinee Young recorded her first career double-double, as she went for 12 points to compliment a career/game high of 13 rebounds. Also in double figures for Old Dominion were Odegua Oigbokie (12 points) and Chelisa Painter (11 points, four rebounds and two steals).
ODU’s bench outscored Howard’s, 22-11, while the Lady Monarchs forced 19 Bison turnovers. For the ballgame, Old Dominion shot 36.8% (25-68) from the floor, 26.3% (5-19) from downtown and 76.9% (20-26) from the charity stripe.
ABOUT VCU
The Rams look to continue success under first-year head coach Beth O'Boyle in 2014-15. VCU returns three starters from last year's team that reached the WNIT. O'Boyle inherits a very young squad of nine sophomores, but last year's freshman class accounted for close to half (43%) of VCU's points (1,046).
So far this season Ashley Pergram (10.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and Monnazjea Finney-Smith (10.6 rpg, 3.1 rpg) have led the Rams, who are 2-0 while playing at home and 2-3 on the road. VCU’s averages turning the ball over 20.7 times per contest, while scoring 65.3 points a game. Most recently, Virginia Commonwealth defeated UNCW by a score of 59-53.
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