NORFOLK, Va. -- Jennie Simms scored a Ted Constant Center record 43 points to lead the Old Dominion women's basketball team over Marshall, 73-69, on Thursday evening at the Ted Constant Center.
"We had a setback at North Texas and needed to get us back to being who we are," said head coach Karen Barefoot. ""Jennie was in a flow and she felt it, but her teammates found her and it's also the little things like Destinee Young blocking shots a couple times on the last possession and Ashley Jackson going after that loose ball on an offensive rebound. To me, it's those little things that make a difference and I'm really proud of our team."
In addition to the Constant Center record for points, Simms also set Ted records for field goals made with 14 and tied the three-point field goals made with six. Simms, who scored a career-high 45 at FIU in 2014-15, also became just the second player in ODU history with two games of 40 or more points, joining Anne Donovan and Inge Nissen.
Simms shot 14-of-22 from the floor, including 6-of-8 from three, and also added four rebounds and two assists. The 43 points is the eighth-highest scoring total in the NCAA so far this season.
"She was just having fun tonight," said Barefoot of Simms. "She was just playing and not trying to force things tonight."
Old Dominion (7-7, 2-1 C-USA) led 24-19 at the end of the first quarter, as Simms scored 13 first-quarter points and the team shot 61 percent from the field. Marshall (10-4, 2-1 C-USA) tied the game at 24-24 early in the second, before ODU ended the half on a 20-6 run to take a 44-30 lead into halftime.
The Lady Monarchs shot 60.0 percent in the opening half and outrebounded Marshall, 20-10. Simms scored 22 of her 43 points in the first half on 9-of-11 shooting.
The Thundering Herd opened the second half with consecutive three-pointers to close the gap to 44-36. Marshall went on to outscore ODU, 16-13, in the third quarter to cut the lead to 57-46 heading into the fourth.
Early in the fourth quarter, Simms banked home a long-distance triple with one on the shot clock to give ODU its biggest lead of the game at 64-49. However, Marshall responded with an 11-2 run to cut the lead to 66-60 with 2:32 remaining.
The Herd were able to cut lead to three at 72-69 in the final minute, but Simms hit 1-of-2 free throws with 10 seconds remaining to give ODU the four-point victory.
Overall, ODU outrebounded Marshall, 39-27, and the ODU bench outscored the opponent's for the seventh consecutive game, 18-9. Ashley Jackson added four points, six rebounds and four assists, while Odegua Oigbokie tallied seven points.
UP NEXT
Old Dominion hosts WKU (10-5, 2-1 C-USA) on Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN3 and STAR 1310. For more information on Saturday's game and updates regarding the incoming winter storm, stay tuned to ODUSports.com.