NORFOLK, Va. -- Old Dominion women’s basketball team is set to begin the 2016 Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship, hosted by UAB, on Wednesday, March 9. The Lady Monarchs earned the No. 5 seed for the upcoming tournament after finishing the regular season with a 10-8 C-USA mark.
A 2015 semifinalist that finished the season on a two-game win streak, ODU will draw the winner of No. 12 Florida Atlantic (14-15, 6-12 C-USA) and No. 13 North Texas (10-18, 5-13 C-USA) on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. (ET).
HOW TO TUNE IN
The second round contest will be on American Sports Network and will be broadcast locally in Hampton Roads on WTVZ 33.2. Fans can also watch the free live web stream on americansportsnet.com. Leah Secondo will be handling play-by-play duties, while Nate Ross will be the color analyst.
Doug Ripley and Susan Montgomery will also be on the radio broadcast that will be housed on STAR 1310 AM, with the show starting at 2:00 p.m. (ET). The broadcast will also be streamed through Monarch Media on www.odusports.com. Once the contest begins, live stats will be available.
Following each contest, fans can tune into all post-game press conferences, courtesy of the C-USA Digital Network.
ABOUT ODU
The Lady Monarchs enter the tournament with a two-game winning streak, after taking down potential opponent North Texas and Rice last week. Old Dominion concluded the regular season at the Ted Constant Center by avenging a loss to the Owls from earlier in the year, as ODU came out on top 61-52 on senior day.
ODU has been a defensive force in conference games and finished the regular season ranked in the top five in six defensive categories. The Lady Monarchs top the league in rebounding margin (+6.7), while ranking second in field-goal percentage defense (.397), defensive rebounds (25.6) and defensive rebounding percentage (.691). The team is also third in scoring defense (62.2) and rebounding defense (33.6).As a team, ODU has corralled 225 steals, including a season-high 15 against Wagner on Nov. 15.
Individually, Jennie Simms leads the way for ODU and ranks first in the league in scoring with 22.2 points per outing in 36.7 minutes of action, which ranks fifth in C-USA. Destinee Young and Ije Ajemba put together the only duo from the same school to rank in the top five in rebounds. Ajemba pulls in a team-high 9.4 boards (3rd), while Young grabs 9.0 rebounds (4th) per game.
On Sunday, Simms earned her second consecutive All-Conference USA First Team honor.The two-time Conference USA Player of the Week finished the regular season as the league’s overall (20.9) and conference scoring leader, as she has poured in double-digits 25 times this season. She was also the only player in C-USA to notch 35-plus points three times and holds the conference top scoring mark after a 39-point onslaught at UTSA. Simms is also the floor general, as she leads the team and ranks eighth in the conference with 3.7 assists per outing. She has dished out three-plus assists in 15 games and set a new career high against Pittsburgh on Nov. 27 after recording nine helpers. Furthermore, the redshirt junior stuffs the stat sheet with 6.6 rebounds per game and 1.6 steals per game.
POTENTIAL SECOND ROUND MATCHUP
The Lady Monarchs will draw the winner of No. 12 Florida Atlantic and No. 13 North Texas. The Owls defeated the Mean Green in the only meeting between the two in Boca Raton, Florida. The two teams will meet in the first round at Bartow Arena at 12:00 p.m. (ET).
Old Dominion defeated the Mean Green twice on the season, including a 62-55 victory at home in the final regular season week of competition. Simms paced the Lady Monarchs with her fourth 30-plus point outpouring of the season, as she finished with 33 points and seven rebounds. Ajemba chipped in eight points and eight rebounds, while Gianna Smith finished with nine points and four boards. Read the full recap here.
Kelsey Criner leads North Texas with 12.9 points per game, while Acheil Tac chips in 11.7 points and team-leading 8.6 rebounds per game. Criner finished the regular season ranked third in C-USA for steals (73) and steals per game (2.6) and was named to the Conference USA All-Defensive team on Sunday. As a team, the Mean Green average 60.9 points and 35.8 rebounds per game.
In the Lady Monarchs only meeting against Florida Atlantic, five players scored in double-figures for Old Dominion, as the Lady Monarchs defeated the Owls, 85-45, at the Ted Constant Center. Simms led the way for ODU with 20 points, five rebounds and eight assists on the night.Young (18), Annika Holopainen (14), Smith (12) and Ajemba (10) joined Simms in double-digits. Ajemba also finished with 13 rebounds. Read the full recap here.
Ali Gorrell paces the Owls with 14.8, 6.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals per contest. The redshirt senior was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team on Sunday. Kat Wright also chips in 11.7 points, while Morgan Robinson is the only other player in double figures with 10.3 points per outing. As a team, FAU averages 67.1 and 36.3 rebounds per game.
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 during the 2016 Conference USA Women’s Basketball Championship.