NORFOLK, Va. -- In front of a record crowd of 8,563 on the sixth annual Education Day, the Old Dominion women's basketball team cruised to a 82-56 victory over Dartmouth on Wednesday at the Ted Constant Center.
"It was an unbelievable turnout," said head coach Karen Barefoot. "I want to thank President Broderick and Athletic Director Dr. Wood Selig for seeing the vision with this. At the end of the day, it's about the kids. For us to have the opportunity with this game, it means a lot, and not just to our program, but our community."
Jennie Simms paced Old Dominion (3-2), netting a season-high 35 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists, while Destinee Young recorded her fourth double-double in five games with 10 points and 13 boards.
ODU and Simms, who scored ODU's first 10 points, jumped out to a 19-4 lead in the first seven minutes of the game. After leading 24-9 at the end of the first, ODU again scored 24 points in the second quarter, taking its biggest lead of the half at 42-16 with 3:03 remaining until the break.
The Lady Monarchs carried a 48-24 lead into halftime, outrebounding Dartmouth (2-3), 26-8, in the first half. ODU maintained a 19-point advantage for the remainder of the game, outscoring the Big Green, 34-32, in the second half.
"I'm just excited both teams went out and played inspired basketball," said Barefoot. "Dartmouth never quit. They kept working and they are a good team."
Overall, the Lady Monarchs shot 46.5 percent from the field, while holding Dartmouth to just 36.1 percent shooting. ODU held a 50-29 advantage on the glass and outscored Dartmouth, 38-14, in the paint.
Manaya Jones finished third on ODU in scoring with eight points, while MaKayla Timmons added five points and three assists. Olivia Smith led Dartmouth with 14 points.
A total of 7,813 students from 33 different Norfolk Public Schools were in attendance for the annual tradition. It was the third consecutive sellout for Education Day.
UP NEXT
Old Dominion travels to No. 18/16 Miami (FL) (5-1) on Sunday at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.