BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Jennie Simms scored a record-breaking 41 points and the Old Dominion women's basketball team overcame a six-point halftime deficit to defeat Florida Atlantic, 93-73, on Saturday afternoon at FAU Arena.
The victory extends Old Dominion's (12-10, 7-4 C-USA) season-long winning streak to four, as the Lady Monarchs have now won five of their last six.
"We just had to find a way to get back to being us," said head coach Karen Barefoot. "They are a team that can score. All of them. We were shooting too fast and then we were able to utilize Jennie in different ways, like playing her inside. We had 50 paint points, which was huge, but what I thought the biggest adjustment was that we pressed coming out of halftime."
Simms' game-high 41 points was her third career game of 40 or more points, setting the ODU career record for 40+ scoring games. Anne Donovan and Inge Nissen held the previous record with two.
Simms added 12 rebounds and six assists, while Destinee Young also notched a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. MaKayla Timmons added a career-high-tying 10 points and a career-high seven rebounds.
The 93 points is a season high for the Lady Monarchs and the most since ODU scored 94 against Charlotte on Feb. 6, 2016.
Florida Atlantic (4-16, 0-9 C-USA) carried a six-point advantage at 48-42 into halftime, as the Owls shot 42.9 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three in the opening half. Overall, the opening half featured eight lead changes and four ties.
Behind an 9-0 rally early in the third quarter, the Lady Monarchs outscored FAU, 30-16, in the third. The 30 points was the highest single-quarter total for ODU this season. ODU, who outrebounded FAU, 34-18, in the second half, then outscored the Owls, 21-9, in the fourth to cruise to the 20-point victory.
Overall, ODU shot 42.2 percent from the field and held FAU to 35.9 percent, including 28.6 percent in the second half. The Lady Monarchs also outrebounded FAU, 61-44. ODU also committed a season-low seven turnovers, while dishing out 14 assists.
Gianna Smith contributed eight points, the most for Smith in Conference USA play, and Ashley Jackson added seven points and six rebounds. Sasha Cedeno led the Owls with 20 points.
"We did a great job of really forcing tough shots," said Barefoot. "We got calm with our offense and were able to execute. We held them to only 25 points in the second half and that, to me, is Lady Monarch Basketball."
UP NEXT
The Lady Monarchs return to Norfolk to host Middle Tennessee and UAB next week. The UAB game, slated for Saturday at 4 p.m., is the 15th Annual Hoops for the Cure game.