NORFOLK, Va. -- The Lady Monarchs recorded their second-consecutive Conference USA win with an 84-49 victory over FIU on Saturday afternoon at the Ted Constant Center on Alumni Day. Old Dominion improved to 9-12 overall and 5-4 in league play, while the Panthers dropped to 2-18 on the season and 0-9 in C-USA.
For the second-consecutive game, Old Dominion saw five players reach double-figure points. Jennie Simms led the Lady Monarchs with 23 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, while Ije Ajemba and Gianna Smith added 13 points apiece. Destinee Young chipped in 12 points to go along with her 12 rebounds and Annika Holopainen finished the game with 10 points.
Simms made history in the third quarter, becoming just the sixth Old Dominion women’s basketball player to score 1,000 points in two years with a jumper with 2:11 on the clock. She joined Anne Donovan, Shae Kelley, Nancy Lieberman, Clarisse Machanguana and Inge Nissen as the only Lady Monarchs to reach 1,000 points in two seasons at ODU. She currently has 1,031 career points, which is good for 30th on the 1,000 points list.
The Lady Monarchs had a slow start to the game and fell behind by nine points with 3:06 left to play in the first period. ODU began to chip away at the Panthers’ advantage and went on a 10-4 spurt over the final two minutes to take the lead for the first time (19-17) going into the second period. Young led Old Dominion with five points and four rebounds, while Brown hit 2-of-3 three-pointers to add six points.
Both teams went on scoring droughts over two minutes during the second period and scored just 13 points in 10 minutes of action, as ODU kept the 1wo-point edge (32-30) at the intermission. Simms led the Lady Monarchs with 11 points, three assists and three steals, helping ODU shoot 42.4 percent from the floor. Old Dominion also held an 18-14 advantage on the glass and forced FIU into 11 turnovers.
The two teams traded baskets over the first four minutes of the third quarter, but the Lady Monarchs refused to give up their lead and went on a 6-0 run to pull ahead by nine points with 5:04 remaining. ODU started to pull away after the third quarter media timeout and put together 24-5 run over 5:47 to increase its lead to 62-40 going into the fourth period. The Lady Monarchs also forced FIU into six turnovers over the last five minutes, scoring 11 points off the Panthers’ mistakes.
The Lady Monarchs continued to stifle the Panthers’ offense in the fourth, holding them to just nine points in 10 minutes of action, while shooting 60.0 percent from the floor (9-15). The Lady Monarchs recorded their second-straight game with a 50.0+ shooting percentage and scored 80+ points for the third time this season.
For the game, ODU shot 50.0 percent from the floor (32-64) and held the Panthers to 40.8 percent (20-49). ODU also erupted for 21 assists on the night, the most since the Lady Monarchs dished out 19 against Loyola on Dec. 2. ODU finished the game with a positive rebounding margin, pulling in 39 board compared to FIU’s 22. The Lady Monarchs got most of their points off of turnovers, scoring 28 points off of FIU’s 22 turnovers.
Taylor Shade led FIU with 13 points, while Destini Feagin added 10 for the Panthers.
UP NEXT FOR ODU
The Ted Constant Convocation Center and the Lady Monarchs will be decked out in pink on Saturday, Feb. 6 for the 14th annual Hoops for the Cure game against Charlotte at 4 p.m. A pre-game Health Fair will be featured in the lobby from 3-4 p.m., along with a reception for all breast cancer survivors in the West Hospitality Room. Breast Cancer survivors can receive free game tickets by contacting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tidewater office at 490-7794. Fans can also support Komen and breast cancer education and research by using the code PINK when purchasing tickets at www.YNOTTix.com. Five dollars off every ticket purchased using the code will benefit the local affiliate.
Fans are encouraged to arrive at the game early for one of the highlights of the day - the annual survivor walk onto the court - which begins at 3:40 p.m. The first 1,000 fans will receive a free pink Hoops for the Cure t-shirt, courtesy of Bon Secours In Motion Therapy.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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