WHO: Old Dominion (18-10, 11-6) vs. Western Kentucky (26-4, 15-2)
WHEN: Saturday, March 7 at 3:00 p.m. EST
WHERE: E.A. Diddle Arena
MEDIA: STAR 1310 AM (Hampton Roads)/Monarch Media (Live Audio Stream)/Live Pregame Show Begins at 2:30 p.m. EST/C-USA Digital Network (Live Video Stream)
BOWLING GREEN, Kent. – In the 2014-15 regular season finale, Old Dominion (18-10, 11-6) will put its current four game win streak on the line, when the Lady Monarchs travel to take on this year’s Conference USA outright regular season champion, Western Kentucky (26-4, 15-2), on Saturday, March 7 at 3:00 p.m. EST.
Saturday will also mark Senior Day for the Lady Toppers, as No. 21 Alexis Govan, No. 24 Ileana Johnson and No. 30 Chastity Gooch. will be honored at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Lady Monarchs currently sit alone in fourth place in the conference standings. With one game remaining, ODU can finish as high as fourth and as low as fifth. The top 4 seeds receive a first round bye in the Conference USA Tournament.
Western Kentucky has won eight ballgames in a row and is receiving votes in the latest Top 25 polls. The Lady Toppers, who have already claimed the top seed in next week’s C-USA Tournament, won the first meeting between these two teams this season via a 76-60 decision in Norfolk on Jan. 10, 2015.
Saturday will mark Old Dominion’s first trip to Bowling Green since 1990. The Lady Monarchs are 1-5 all-time at Diddle Arena. Saturday’s contest will be the 17th meeting between the Lady Toppers of Western Kentucky and the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs, as the all-time series is tied at 8-8, respectively.
ABOUT THE LADY MONARCHS (18-10, 11-6)
Old Dominion enters Saturday’s contest on a four-game winning streak after taking down LA Tech, Rice, North Texas then Marshall (in order) over the past two weeks. ODU sports an 18-10 overall record along with an 11-6 C-USA mark and an impressive 9-4 record away from the Ted.
With one regular season game remaining, Old Dominion has already surpassed its in-conference win total from last season of nine (out of 16 total regular season conference games last year).
ODU currently is first in the conference for field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 37.3% shooting. Old Dominion also sits atop the C-USA rankings for defensive rebounds, averaging 29 per outing. The Lady Monarchs are allowing 60.8 points per game. Old Dominion averages 15.5 forced turnovers a contest. ODU currently sits second in Conference USA for average attendance, drawing 2,733 fans to each home game at the Ted.
Jennie Simms ranks 48th in the country and second in the conference (among active players) in points per game, netting 18.5 a contest. Simms also leads the squad in rebounds, grabbing 7.8 boards a contest. Tiffany Minor shoots 32.2% from deep, which is fourth in the conference for 3PT%, while she is fourth in the conference in three-point field goals per game averaging 2.07. Destinee Young is sixth in the Conference USA blocked shots per game ladder, averaging 1.32 an outing.
Tiffany Minor averages 8.0 points to compliment 4.9 rebounds per game. Ashley-Betz White currently leads the squad in assists (82) and steals (43), while averaging 6.6 points a ballgame. Destinee Young is Old Dominion’s second leading rebounder averaging 6.5 per contest, with 71 of her 182 total boards coming on the offensive end. Young is the Lady Monarchs leading shot blocker with 37 rejections so far this season.
ABOUT WESTERN KENTUCKY (26-4, 15-2)
Western Kentucky enters Saturday’s contest with a 26-4 overall record and a 15-2 C-USA mark. The Lady Toppers have posted a 13-1 record while playing at home, and a 12-3 record on the road. WKU is coming into today’s game on an eight game winning streak and coming off an 80-72 win over Charlotte on Thursday night.
Western Kentucky averages 77.4 points per contest, while giving up 61.8 points per game to their opponents. WKU forces 20.6 turnovers a game and only give the ball up 15.3 times per contest.
The Lady Toppers are lead by senior forward Chastity Gooch who is averaging 17.1 points-per-game and 7.0 rebounds-per-game and by senior guard Alexis Govan, 16.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg.
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.