PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- In the Battle 4 Atlantis finale, the Old Dominion men's basketball team defeated St. John's, 63-55, on Friday evening at the Bahamas' Imperial Arena.
Ahmad Caver (six assists) poured in a team-high 15 points, while Trey Porter scored 12 points, to compliment seven rebounds. Denzell Taylor hauled down a game-high 16 rebounds to go along with seven points. Brandan Stith scored eight points, as Zoran Talley and Jordan Baker (four rebounds and five assists) pitched in six points each, respectively. The Monarchs held a +20 advantage on the boards for the contest.
“I thought we really competed tonight,” said ODU head coach Jeff Jones. “To win a game against a good opponent while shooting 30% is tough, but I thought our guys responded and played with energy. We executed offensively, even though we didn’t finish. And then obviously, our defense was terrific.”
In the first half, the Red Storm broke a 9-9 deadlock midway through the first half with a 10-5 rally to take its biggest lead of the half at 19-14 with under seven remaining. However, the Monarchs responded with a 16-5 run to end the half to carry a 30-24 lead into halftime.
The Monarchs continued the momentum into the second half, as Trey Porter's tip-in gave ODU an 11-point lead with under 15 minutes remaining. ODU continued to extend the lead as Jordan Baker drilled a corner three to give the Monarchs their biggest lead of the game at 51-35 with eight minutes to go, before ultimately claiming a 63-55 victory in the seventh place game.
St. John's entered the game averaging 78.8 points per game. The victory is ODU's first over St. John's in program history. The Red Storm had won the only two previous meetings.
ODU returns to Norfolk for a home matchup against Dartmouth on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Ted Constant Center.