ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands -- Despite shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and going 11-for-11 from the foul line, the Old Dominion women’s basketball team suffered its fourth-straight loss after falling to Pittsburgh 67-58 on Friday night during the second night of the Paradise Jam.
Jennie Simms once again led the ODU offense and was just one assist and two rebounds shy of a triple-double with 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Keyana Brown poured in 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting, while Destinee Young added 13 points and six boards.
The Lady Monarchs held and 18-14 lead over the Panthers following the first quarter behind 50.0 percent shooting and 11 points from Jennie Simms. ODU forced Pitt to foul six times, which led to a 6-for-6 showing from the charity stripe.
The Panthers opened the second period with a 15-4 run to hold a 32-22 lead over ODU by the 3:51 mark, but the Lady Monarchs continued to fight. ODU closed the period with an 11-2 spurt to chip away at the Pitt lead and enter halftime down three points. Keyana Brown sparked the run with back-to-back three pointers, while the run was capped by Timmons steal and fast break layup.
Simms led the way for ODU with 13 first-half points, while Destinee Young added seven points. The duo also combined for all 11 free throws, going 11-of-11 from the foul line.
The third period proved to be an even affair, as both teams scored 14 points, but during the fourth period, the Lady Monarchs were held to a four-minute scoring drought and just 2-for-10 shooting, as the Panthers outscored ODU 17-11 to secure the win.
Aysia Bugg led the Panthers with 18 points, while Yacine Diop and Kalista Walters added 13 and 11 points, respectively. For the game, ODU held a 29-25 advantage in rebounds, including a five-rebound edge in offensive rebounds.
UP NEXT FOR ODU
The Lady Monarchs are back in action at 5:45 p.m. (ET) against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits for the final game of the 2015 Paradise Jam.
Macy Miller leads the charge for SDSU with 24.3 points per game, while Kerri Young adds 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per outing. As a team, the Jackrabbits average 72.3 points per game and shoot 39.8 percent from the floor. Entering his 16th season at the helm of the Jackrabbits program, Aaron Johnston has guided SDSU to nine postseason appearances, including six NCAA Tournaments, since the program turned Division I in 2004-05. The four-time Summit League Coach of the Year (2008, 2009, 2012, 2014) has guided the Jackrabbits to a winning record in all 15 years at South Dakota State, and has led SDSU to 12 20-win seasons, including eight of the last nine years. Johnston is South Dakota State’s winningest women’s basketball coach with a 365-126 (.743) record.
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