NORFOLK, Va. -- After defeating Charlotte for the second time this season last Saturday, the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs will hit the road to take on North Texas on Thursday at 8pm (ET) and Rice on Saturday at 3pm (ET) in Conference USA action.
HOW TO TUNE IN
Thursday’s contest against the Mean Green will be streamed through meangreensports.com and the C-USA Digital Network, while being broadcast on STAR 1310 AM with Doug Ripley on the call starting at 7:30 p.m. (ET). Fans can also follow live stats.
Saturday’s game with the Owls is streamed through riceowls.com and the C-USA Digital Network. The radio broadcast will once again be on STAR 1310 AM, with the show beginning at 2:30 p.m. (ET). Live stats will also be available once the game starts.
ABOUT ODU
Old Dominion (10-12, 6-4) enters the contest with a three-game winning streak, the first time the Lady Monarchs have strung together more than two wins this season. Over the last three games, ODU set and broke season high records. Against FAU, the Lady Monarchs scored a then season-high 85 points, but smashed that with 94 points in the win over Charlotte. ODU also dished out a then season-high 21 assists against FIU, but again topped that mark with 22 helpers against the 49ers. ODU also pulled in 40-plus rebounds twice and held a 127-86 overall advantage on the boards (+13.6 margin). On the offensive end, the Lady Monarchs had five players reach double-figures against the two Florida opponents, marking the first time since Jan. 15, 2014 ODU has seen that happen, and just missed it by a point against Charlotte.
Jennie Simms led ODU, averaging 26 points, seven assists and 5.7 rebounds over the last three games. Meanwhile, the backcourt of Destinee Young and Ije Ajemba averaged a double-double apiece over the last three contests. Young put up 14.7 points and 10 rebounds, while Ajemba added 12.7 points and 10 rebounds per outing.
For the season, Simms paces the Lady Monarchs with 20.2 points per game, which is No. 1 in Conference USA and 25th in the nation. Young also adds 10.9 points and pulls in a team-leading 8.3 rebounds. Keyana Brown is third on the team in scoring with 7.6 points, but leads the program with 40 made three-pointers to average 1.8 per contest.
ABOUT NORTH TEXAS
The Mean Green put up 71 points and nearly picked up the program’s first win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday from the Thomas Assembly Center. Foul trouble limited the North Texas roster and gave the Lady Techsters plenty of chances from the charity stripe in the 77-71 loss. North Texas (8-12, 3-7), who took a seven-point lead into the locker room at halftime, was in control for much of the first half. But the final two quarters were summarized by LA Tech’s ability to draw fouls and finish the game with 33 free throws attempts and cashed in on 28 of them. Four players scored in double figures, led by 18 from Candice Adams, who tied a career high and connected on four shots from long range.
For the season, Kelsey Criner leads the team with 12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. Adams adds 11.5 points, while Terra Ellison and Acheil Tac add 10.4 and 10.3 points, respectively. Tac also pulls in a team high 8.2 rebounds per outing.
On April 9, 2015, Jalie Mitchell returned to her alma mater to become the eighth head coach in Mean Green women’s basketball program history. Mitchell boasts numerous records as a four-year letterwinner on the North Texas women’s basketball team from 1999-02. She finished as the Mean Green’s all-time leading scorer with 1,764 points and tops the list of career free throws made and attempted.
ABOUT RICE
Rice enters the weekend with a 4-17 overall record and a 3-7 mark in Conference USA play. The Owls will first take on the Charlotte 49ers on Thursday before facing the Lady Monarchs on Saturday. In the Owls' last game against Southern Miss, forward Jasmine Goodwine notched her second double-double of the season but Rice’s bid to hand the Lady Eagles their first home loss of the season fell short in a 68-62 loss. Rice (4-17, 3-7) led for 23:29, but a third quarter in which Southern Miss (12-9, 5-5) outscored the Owls 21-9 proved to be the difference.
For the season, three players average double-figure points led by 12.1 from Goodwine. She also leads the team with 5.6 rebounds per outing. Shani Rainey and Maya Hawkins chip in 10.7 and 10.4 points, respectively.
Tina Langley is in the midst of her first season at the helm of the Rice Owls women’s basketball program. Langley spent the last seven seasons serving as Maryland's associate head coach, compiling a 195-49 record during that time. The Terrapins are coming off a 2014-15 campaign in which Langley helped guide the team to their second consecutive Final Four appearance and a 34-3 record, climbing as high No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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