NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion Lady Monarchs return to the Ted Constant Center this week with two key Conference USA matchups. ODU will face LA Tech on Thursday at 7:02 p.m. and welcome the Southern Miss Lady Eagles on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
Thursday’s contest will also mark the third annual ‘Barefootin Night’ in support of Samaritans Feet, while Saturday will be ‘Military Appreciation Night’ in honor of all local military members, veterans, and their families.
HOW TO TUNE IN
Thursday’s contest will be broadcast on Fox Sports Networks around the nation, with Jenn Hildreth and LaChina Robinson on the call. Charter Cable will broadcast the game live on channel 213, while the FOX Sports Go app will stream the game live at 7:00 p.m. Fans can also listen live on STAR 1310 (WGH-AM) or follow live stats. Monarch Media will also stream the game on odusports.com.
Saturday’s contest against the Lady Eagles will be streamed through Monarch Media and the C-USA Digital Network. The radio broadcast can be found on ESPN 94.1 (WVSP-FM), and live stats will again be available.
ABOUT ODU
The Lady Monarchs enter the weekend with a 5-8 overall record and a 1-0 mark in conference play.ODU hit the road for its first Conference USA contest of the season on Sunday and came out with a 71-59 victory over the Charlotte 49ers. Jennie Simms led the way with a game-high 18 points, while Destinee Young recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Annika Holopainen also reached double-figures, finishing with 16 points. For the game, ODU shot 43.1 percent from the floor (28-65), while Charlotte was held to 35.3 percent (24-68). The Lady Monarchs also held a positive rebounding margin for the first time since playing Loyola (12.2), grabbing 46 boards compared to Charlotte’s 39.
After averaging 26.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in two games, Simms was named the Conference USA Player of the Week for the first time in her career. She exploded for 35 points in the loss to W&M (12.29) and followed that performance with 18 points and nine rebounds against Charlotte.
For the season, Simms leads the team with 18.4 points per outing, while also adding 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. Young is the only other Lady Monarch that averages double-figures, as she pours in 11.0 points per game. She also leads the team with 7.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks a game. As a team, ODU averages 58.9 points (-5.3 margin) and 35.9 rebounds (-5.2 margin) a game.
ABOUT LA TECH
The Lady Techsters will face ODU with a 5-7 overall record and a 0-1 conference mark after falling to Southern Miss, 69-59, on Saturday at Reed Green Coliseum in their conference opener. USM outrebounded Tech 50-29, including 23-6 on the offensive glass leading to a 40-20 advantage on points in the paint. Brooke Pumroy led LA Tech with 14 points while Ashley Santos and Brandi Wingate each scored 13 points. Nine of Wingate's 13 points came in the final quarter.
The Lady Techsters lead the all-time series against the Lady Monarchs, 15-7, but fell by one point last season (72-71) after the memorable Holopainen three-pointer with two seconds left on the clock. The win at the Thomas Asembly Center marked the first time ODU defeated LA Tech on the road.
LA Tech has three players averaging double-figures, led by Wingate’s 15.9 points per game. Santos adds 10.6 points, while Pumroy chips in 10.2 points per outing. Wingate also leads the team with 6.8 rebounds and Kierra Anthony directs the team with 4.1 helpers a game. As a team, LA Tech averages 66.4 points (+0.5 margin) and 40.9 rebounds (+3.7 margin) a game.
ABOUT SOUTHERN MISS
The Lady Eagles improved to 8-4 overall and 1-0 in league play with the win over LA Tech. Freshman Caitlin Jenkins scored a career-high 29 points to go with 15 rebounds, earning her C-USA Freshman of the Week honors. Junior Tajanay Veiga also scored a season-high 19 points and Jayla King added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Old Dominion won the first meeting between these two teams on Jan. 15, 2014 (92-82), but Southern Miss took the last two games to hold a 2-1 advantage in the overall series. Last season, the Lady Monarchs fell to the Lady Eagles, 53-70, on the road.
USM is led by four players in double-figure scoring, with Clemons leading the way with 12.6 points per outing. Brittanny Dinkins (12.1), Caitlin Jenkins (11.9) and King (10.0) also average 10 or more points. Jenkins also pulls in a team and conference-high 9.8 rebounds and blocks 2.2 shots per game. Keri Jewett-Giles leads the squad with 3.7 assists and 2.8 steals per contest. As a team, USM averages 62.5 points (+5.6 margin) and 38.7 rebounds (+1.9 margin) per outing.
BAREFOOTIN’ NIGHT
Against LA Tech on Thursday, head coach Karen Barefoot will leave her shoes behind for the game in support of Samaritan’s Feet, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing shoes and proper foot care to underprivileged youth. Fans are also encouraged to support the cause by wearing opened toed shoes and other ‘island’ apparel to the Ted, where it is always sunny and 75 degrees!
Samaritan’s Feet is partners with the NCAA, NFHS, NABC, NACDA, NIAAA, WBCA and many other organizations to help raise awareness and since its inception in 2003, Samaritan’s Feet has provided shoes to more than five million children in more than 70 countries. Over the last 11 years, roughly 3,000 high school and college coaches have made public appearances in bare feet to promote the organization.
The initiative shares hope with children in the U.S. and around the world by washing their feet, giving them a new pair of shoes, and helping them believe that their dreams can come true. The Samaritan’s Feet team believes that a new pair of shoes can be a tangible foundation of hope to a person in need.
MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT
Saturday’s contest marks the annual ‘Military Appreciation Night’ for Old Dominion women’s basketball, a night to honor and thank all local military members, veterans, and their families. The team will be donning camouflage shooting-shirts and socks, while the coaching staff will wear the colors of all the branches of the armed services. The TRADOC Herald Trumpets will once again be performing the National Anthem.
ODU will provide a limited number of complimentary tickets through the ‘Tickets for Troops’ program that was created to recognize the contribution of active and retired military in Hampton Roads and their families. Complementary Troops tickets are available at www.odusports.com/troops. If you miss the complimentary ticket window, all military who present an active or retired military ID at the ticket windows the day of the game will be admitted for only $5 to the contest. For other ticket inquiries please contact the Group Sales office at (757) 683-7087.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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