NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion women's basketball team topped Christopher Newport, 63-56, in an exhibition on Wednesday evening at the Ted Constant Center.
Kelly Loftus led all scorers with 17 points and the Monarchs shot 53 percent from beyond the arc to earn the victory in their lone exhibition of the season.
As a team, the Monarchs assisted on 19 of 23 made baskets, as five different players scored nine or more points.
Victoria Morris shot a perfect 4-of-4 from three to finish with 12 points, while MaKayla Timmons added 10 points, nine assists and five steals and Taylor Edwards finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
"I liked our energy when we started the game," said head coach Nikki McCray-Penson, who coached in her first game ever at The Ted. "I liked the fact that we were pushing the ball. I thought we moved the ball around and got really good shots in the first half. Then, the fatigue set in and we just have to get better."
Behind an uptempo offense, the Monarchs surged out to a 24-10 lead through the first quarter. Christopher Newport, a DIII Final Four a season ago, cut into the ODU lead in the second quarter, as the Monarchs carried a 39-32 advantage into halftime.
CNU continued to trim the Monarch lead in the third quarter and ODU carried a one-point lead into the fourth at 49-48. However, the ODU defense bottled up the Captains' attack in the fourth, holding CNU scoreless for a stretch of 4:39 midway through the quarter.
Overall, ODU outscored CNU, 14-8, in the fourth to secure the win.
The Monarchs shot 43 percent from the field, while holding the Captains to 38 percent. ODU also held a 35-32 advantage on the glass and assisted on 19 of 23 made baskets.
"Some people played big minutes for us," said McCray. "They didn't quit and that's what I liked."
ODU officially opens its season on Friday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. against Liberty at The Ted in the opening round of the Preseason WNIT.
FOLLOW ODU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow @ODUWBB on Twitter for the latest updates on the Monarchs.