BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In a game that the Blazers never led, Ahmad Caver paced five Monarchs in double-figures with 23, as the Old Dominion men’s basketball team (15-10, 8-5 C-USA) snapped UAB’s (15-11, 8-5 C-USA) 23-game home C-USA win-streak with an 83-62 victory on Saturday night at Bartow Arena. The Monarchs shot a blistering 66% (33-50) from the floor, 50% (9-18) from three and 73% (8-11) from the free-throw line for the contest.
Saturday marked the first ever win for ODU over UAB in the Conference USA era.
“This was a big time win for us,” said ODU head coach Jeff Jones. “To bounce back like this after our last two games, we could’ve hung our heads and our guys did not. We talked about believing, we talked about leaving it all out there on the court and we did exactly that tonight. Every one of our guys contributed to this win and has ownership in this performance. The big thing now is trying to keep this momentum going and showing maturity and see if we can play at this level again next Saturday.”
Caver (6-9 3PT) also dished out eight assist (just one turnover), to go along with five rebounds and two steals. B.J. Stith recorded his first career double-double, going for 16 points and 10 rebounds, to compliment four assists. Zoran Talley hit 6-7 from the floor in his 12 point and two rebound performance. Brandan Stith chipped in 11 points, four rebounds and two steals, while Trey Porter (5-5 FG) followed with 10 points and two rebounds.
The Blazers pulled within four, 49-45, with 13:18 to play in the second half, before ODU answered with a 33-10 run to push its lead to 27, 82-55, with 3:33 remaining in regulation, before ultimately claiming a 21-point victory on Saturday night in Birmingham.
14 Monarchs played, while eight scored. The Monarchs held advantages for assists (21-10), bench points (28-18) and points off turnovers (16-7). ODU led for 39:02 of the possible 40 minutes, as the game was tied for 58 seconds.
Ahmad Caver’s third three of the first half gave ODU a 21-9 advantage with 8:36 remaining in the opening half. Caver’s fifth three of the first half pushed the Monarchs’ lead back to 12, 33-21, at the 3:00 mark.
Old Dominion claimed a 39-30 lead at halftime behind 15 points (5-6 3PT), five rebounds and four assists from Ahmad Caver. The Blazers never led in the opening half. For the half, ODU shot 60.0% from the floor, 53.8% from three and 100% from the charity stripe.
Old Dominion will return home for its next contest on Saturday, Feb. 18, when the Monarchs host Charlotte at 7:00 p.m. The game will air on ESPN3.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS
Single-game tickets for Old Dominion University men’s basketball are on sale now at www.ynottix.com or by calling 757-683-4444.
For group pricing (10+), please call Todd McKeating at 757-683-7087.
All ODU students get in free all year long.
VOUCHER BOOKS
The voucher book includes 10 ticket vouchers that can be redeemed for tickets to any remaining home men’s basketball games. The tickets can be used all at once to bring a family or group of friends or spread out amongst multiple games. If you run out of vouchers, simply come back and purchase another voucher book. At just $99 per voucher book, it represents more than $70, or 40%, savings over face value.
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