NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion women’s basketball team opens up Conference USA action on Sunday, Jan. 3 against the Charlotte 49ers in Charlotte, N.C. The two teams will square off at 1:02 p.m. in Halton Arena.
Since joining C-USA, ODU is 1-1 in conference openers, facing Charlotte on both occasions. Under Barefoot, Old Dominion is 2-2 in openers (1-1 CAA, 1-1 C-USA) and is 32-3 since joining the Sun Belt in 1982-83.
ABOUT ODU
The Lady Monarchs enter the matchup with a 4-8 overall record after falling to the William & Mary Tribe, 75-64, on Tuesday. Jennie Simms led the way for ODU with a game-high 35 points and was the only Lady Monarch in double-figures. She also added nine rebounds, two assists, three blocks and three steals to her stat line. Annika Holopainen was closest to reaching double-figures, finishing with seven points and three rebounds. In her first game back since Nov. 27, Ije Ajemba added six points and eight rebounds.
For the game, ODU shot 38.5 percent from the field (25-65), 30.0 percent from behind the arc (6-20) and 40.0 percent from the foul line (8-20). The Tribe out-rebounded ODU 53-34 and dished out 20 assists, the most of any ODU opponent this season.
Simms leads ODU with 18.4 points per game and adds 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per outing. Destinee Young chips in 10.8 points and leads the team with 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per contest. As a team, the Lady Monarchs average 57.9 points (-6.7 margin) and 35.1 boards (-6.1 margin) per outing.
SERIES HISTORY
The Lady Monarchs are 10-5 overall against Charlotte in the series that began on February 28, 1985. The two teams met twice last season, with each team picking up a win. ODU took the contest in Norfolk (1.4.15), 66-57, while the 49ers defeated the Lady Monarchs 82-67 in Charlotte (2.7.15).
ABOUT CHARLOTTE
The 49ers enter the matchup with a 7-4 overall record after falling to No. 23 Missouri, 88-71, on Dec. 30. The Niners’ leading scorer coming in, Ciara Gregory, topped the squad again with a game-best 17 points, featuring a pair of 3-pointers. Grace Hunter chipped in a career-high 15 points on 7-of-12 field goals, while Lefty Webster’s 14 points were buoyed by a 6-of-6 performance at the charity stripe. Alexis Alexander and Laia Raventós poured in 10 points apiece, giving Charlotte (7-4) at least five double-figure scorers for the second-straight game.
For the season, Gregory leads the team with 16.5 points, while adding 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Alexander adds 15.0 and leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per contest, while Webster and Kira Gordon chip in 13.3 and 11.3 points, respectively. Raventos guides the team with 5.1 assists per game. As a team, the Niners average 78.6 points and 37.9 rebounds per contest.
HOW TO TUNE IN
Sunday’s contest will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Networks. To find your local viewing chanel, see the attached ‘Monarchs in the Media’ link. Fans can also listen to radio broadcast on ESPN 94.1 FM and Monarch Media or follow live stats.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow ODU Women’s Basketball on Twitter (@ODUWBB) and Instagram (@oduwbasketball) and ‘Like’ the ODU Lady Monarch Basketball on Facebook to stay up to date with the latest news and coverage.