NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion Lady Monarchs are back in action at the Ted Constant Center against the 49ers of Charlotte at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams will meet for the 17th time, as ODU holds the 11-5 advantage in the series that dates back to 1985. Earlier this season, ODU defeated Charlotte on the road in Halton Arena, 71-59.
HOW TO TUNE IN
The contest will be streamed live on Monarch Media and through the C-USA Digital Network. The game can also be followed on ESPN 94.1 FM and on live stats.
HOOPS FOR THE CURE
The Ted Constant Convocation Center and the Lady Monarchs will be decked out in pink on Saturday for the 14th annual Hoops for the Cure game. 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.
ABOUT ODU
The Lady Monarchs enter the contest with a two-game winning streak after defeating Florida Atlantic and FIU last week. Overall ODU holds a 9-12 mark and is 5-4 in Conference USA play. In both games last week, five players reached double-figure scoring, as Jennie Simms, Ije Ajemba, Gianna Smith, Destinee Young and Annika Holopainen all recorded 10-plus points in both contests.
Simms made history in the third quarter against FIU, 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 career points list.
Simms not only leads the team, but also Conference USA with 19.4 points per game and 20.3 points per contest in C-USA games. In just Conference USA games, Old Dominion as a team ranks in the top five in 12 different categories and individually in five categories.
TEAM RANKINGS | INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS |
#1 Scoring Defense - 59.0 | Jennie Simms |
#1 Rebounding Margin - +8.3 | #1 Scoring (20.3) |
#1 Defensive Rebounding Percentage - 70.6% | #7 Assists (4.1) |
#2 Rebounding Offense - 41.0 | #8 FG Pct. (50.7%) |
#2 Rebounding Defense - 32.7 | Destinee Young |
#2 Offensive Rebounding Percentage - 41.2% | #3 Rebounding (9.3) |
#3 Field Goal Percentage Defense - 38.4% | #5 Blocks (1.3) |
#4 Offensive Rebounds - 15.4 | #5 Off. Rbs. (3.9) |
#4 Defensive Rebounds - 25.6 | #8 Def. Rbs. (5.4) |
#5 Scoring Margin - +4.7 | Ije Ajemba |
#5 Field Goal Percentage - 42.1% | #4 Def. Rbs. (5.9) |
#5 Steals - 7.6 | #6 Rebounding (8.9) |
| #8 Off. Rbs. (3.0) |
ABOUT CHARLOTTE
The 49ers are 12-8 overall this season and hold a 5-4 mark in Conference USA, putting them in a tie with the Lady Monarchs for fifth in the league. Charlotte weathered a 3-point barrage by Florida Atlantic’s Kat Wright, leading the 49ers to a 85-79 victory Saturday night inside Halton Arena. Grace Hunter posted 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Alexis Alexander matched her in the scoring column with 22 points on 10-of-19 field goals. Laia Raventós netted 16 points, and Lefty Webster chipped in 15 points to give the 49ers a quartet of double-figure scorers for the fourth-straight contest.
Hunter averaged a double-double on her way to earning Conference USA Freshman of the Week honors for her first outright conference weekly honor after sharing it earlier this season, Jan. 11. She ended the two-game set averaging a double-double of 22.5 points and 12.0 rebounds. Hunter opened the week with a career-best 23 points on 9-of-15 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws to go along with nine rebounds and two assists against FIU Thursday. She then topped that performance with her fourth career double-double on Saturday against Florida Atlantic. She again made 9-of-15 field goals to go with 4-of-6 free throws, while corralling 12 of her 15 boards on the defensive glass.
NATIONAL ATTENDANCE
The Lady Monarchs pull a great crowd for home games and it shows in the national numbers. ODU ranks in the top 11 percent in attendance, averaging over 2,800 fans per game. Overall, Old Dominion ranks 37th out of 329 Division I programs and is second among Conference USA teams. Middle Tennessee leads the pack with a 5,419 average, which is good for 14th in the nation.
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.