FAIRFAX, Va. -- The Old Dominion women's basketball team dropped its Preseason WNIT finale to St. Francis (PA), 79-68, on Saturday afternoon at George Mason's EagleBank Arena.
"I thought fatigue played a factor," said head coach Nikki McCray-Penson. "I thought the first quarter, again, really killed us. 26-8. You can't recover from a deficit like that."
St. Francis (1-2), behind 52 percent shooting in the opening quarter, led 26-8 at the end of one and never looked back, as the Red Flash led by double digits for the final three quarters.
A trio of Old Dominion (0-3) players notched career highs in scoring, including Victoria Morris who tallied a team-leading 16 points. MaKayla Timmons and Taylor Edwards also notched career highs with 14 points apiece. Edwards also added eight rebounds and three assists, both career highs.
St. Francis, leading 39-22 entering the second half, used a 10-0 run midway through the third quarter to extend its lead to as much as 28. ODU then outscored SFU, 28-13, in the fourth to close the final margin of victory to 11.
Odegua Oigbokie also scored in double figures for ODU with 13 points to go along with nine rebounds. Overall, ODU outrebounded SFU, 47-46, and held a 28-14 advantage in the paint, but the Monarchs committed 19 turnovers that led to 20 Red Flash points.
Up next, ODU hosts a pair of ACC foes in NC State and No. 11 Duke next week.
"It's a marathon," said McCray. "Our kids are getting better. We're limited in our bench and fatigue is playing a factor, but that's no excuse. We just have to come out and execute the game plan."
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