NORFOLK, Va. -- After a five-day break, the Old Dominion women’s basketball team is back in action Monday night, as it takes on the East Tennessee State Bucs at 7:00 p.m. at the Ted Constant Center.
The Lady Monarchs’ last game was on Tuesday, Nov. 17 against the Miami Hurricanes and ODU fell by a 61-35 margin. ODU (1-2) was led by Jennie Simms who tallied 16 points and eight rebounds, while Ije Ajemba added eight points and seven boards. Defensively, the Monarchs were able to hold Miami (3-0), who is receiving votes in both national polls, to under 40 percent shooting from the field at 38.2 percent.
Simms leads the way for ODU with 18.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest, ranking fifth in Conference USA in scoring and ninth in rebounds. Ajemba adds 8.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, while Keyana Brown puts up 7.7 points with a team high .455 three-point percentage (5-11).
The ETSU women’s basketball team enters the matchup with a 2-2 overall record after snapping their two-game losing streak on Saturday night. The Bucs defeated Brevard College, 69-46, and were led by junior Shamauria Bridges’ career-high 30 points. Bridges surpassed her previous career-high of 23 and has scored at least 20 points for three-consecutive games. The junior guard was 11-of-20 from the field and 7-of-12 from the three-point line. Bridges leads the team in scoring with 23.0 points per game, while Tianna Tarter adds 11.0 and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
The Bucs are coached by Brittney Ezell, who is in her third season at the helm for ETSU. She helped lead the team to a 21-12 overall record last year, a 16-game win progression from 2013-14 where the Bucs went 9-21. Led by Ezell, the Bucs made it to the Southern Conference Tournament Championship game falling to No.1 seed Chattanooga in overtime. ETSU appeared in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) for the third time in school history falling short to NC State, 73-59.
NEXT UP FOR ODU
After Monday's contest, ODU will be back in action at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The Lady Monarchs will first take on Maryland (Nov. 26), followed by Pittsburgh (Nov. 27) and South Dakota State (Nov. 28). All three games will be streamed online on www.paradisejam.com and live stats will also be available.
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