NORFOLK, Va. -- In a game that was tied 36-36 at the half, the Old Dominion women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought battle to NC State, 73-56, on Monday evening at the Ted Constant Center.
NC State (5-0) broke the halftime deadlock and pulled away from Old Dominion (0-4) in the second half, outscoring the Monarchs, 37-20, in the final two quarters. Kelly Loftus and Victoria Morris each tallied a team-high 15 points and combined for 10 three-pointers.
"In the second half, we weren't able to hit shots," said head coach Nikki McCray-Penson. "We get really stagnant in some quarters and that hurts us."
NC State got off to a hot start, ending the first quarter on a 18-4 run to carry a 23-9 lead into the second. The Monarchs, behind five Loftus threes, responded in the second quarter, outscoring NC State, 27-13, in the segment. Overall, ODU shot 69 percent from the field and 86 percent from beyond the arc in the quarter.
"I thought we kept them off the boards in the second quarter, which allowed us to push and score in transition," said McCray. "Kelly [Loftus] had the hot hand, so we were able to run her off some screens."
The Wolfpack then used a lop-sided third quarter, in which they outscored ODU, 19-3, to pull away and secure the victory.
Odegua Oigbokie added 10 points for the Monarchs, while MaKayla Timmons dished out a career-high eight assists.
NC State's Chelsea Nelson led all scorers with 17 points. The Wolfpack outrebounded ODU, 41-23, and held a 42-14 advantage in points in the paint.
"For us, it's about the little things," said McCray. "The Achilles' heel for us is offensive rebounding. They had 13. If we cut that in half, that's a ballgame."
Up next, the Monarchs host No. 16 Duke on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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