BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Old Dominion women’s basketball team put together a valiant comeback in the fourth quarter against UAB, but the effort fell just short as the Lady Monarchs dropped a 58-55 loss at the hands of the Blazers on Thursday night in Bartow Arena. ODU fell to 6-10 overall and 2-2 in the league, while UAB improved to 8-7 overall and 1-3 in Conference USA.
Jennie Simms led the Lady Monarchs with 21 points, eight rebounds and two assists, while Destinee Young added 10 points and eight rebounds of her own. Annika Holopainen also reached double-figures for ODU, chipping in 10 points to go along with her three rebounds.
After trailing by seven points with 6:24 left in the game, the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs fought back to take its first lead of the game (53-51) with 2:34 left on the clock. ODU strung together a 9-2 run in a span of 4:48, capped by a Simms layup to take the lead. Both teams traded baskets over the next two minutes and the period saw its third tie (55-55) with just 36 seconds on the clock. Chelsee Black hit what proved to be the game winner for UAB, draining a three-pointer with 15 seconds left to play. Simms had a chance to score the tying three-pointer with .2 seconds left after ODU forced a UAB turnover, but her attempt fell just short. UAB preserved its home winning streak with the victory and moved to 13 straight wins at home, spanning a full calendar year.
The UAB Blazers jumped out to a 12-3 lead over Old Dominion by the 5:41 mark in the first quarter behind five points from Black. The Lady Monarchs continued to attack and pulled within three points (18-15) with just under a minute to play, but UAB got a basket from Keonna Farmer to give the Blazers the five-point advantage at the end of the first period.
ODU pulled within three points at the beginning of the second period, but that would be as close as the Blazers would allow ODU to get. UAB outscored the Lady Monarchs 19-16 to take the eight-point lead (39-31) at the intermission.
Despite the eight-point disadvantage, the Lady Monarchs shot 45.2 from the floor (14-31), well above their season average of 37.1 percent. ODU also did a great job on the glass in the first half, out-rebounding UAB 21-14, but were forced into nine costly turnovers. Simms led ODU’s offense with 12 points and five rebounds, while Holopainen and Young each added six points in 20 minutes of action.
The third period proved to be a struggle for both teams, as the two programs combined for just 17 total points. ODU out-scored the Blazers, 11-6, but still were down three points going into the fourth quarter.
For the game, ODU shot 42.4 percent from the floor (25-59), while UAB went 26-54 for 48.1 percent. The Lady Monarchs held a 10-point advantage on the board, pulling in 37 rebounds compared to UAB’s 27. Simms and Young attempted the only foul shots of the contest for both teams and combined to go 1-for-3.
Deanna Kuzmanic led the Blazers with 17 points, while Black added 14 of her own. Brittany Winborne chipped in eight points and six rebounds for UAB.
UP NEXT FOR ODU
The Lady Monarchs will be back in action against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Saturday after a short plane ride from Birmingham to Murfreesboro, Tenn. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) and will be broadcast live (audio only) on ESPN 94.1 FM and Monarch Media. Fans can also watch the game live through GoBlueRaiders.com and the C-USA Digital Network.
Brea Edwards leads the team with 19.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, while Petty adds 10.1 points and 4.6 assists per contest. As a team, Middle Tennessee scores 67.7 points (+5.0 margin) and pulls in 40.8 rebounds (+5.3 margin) a game.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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