NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion women's basketball team earned its first Conference USA win of the season on Thursday, defeating Marshall, 69-53, at the Ted Constant Center.
"I thought we were focused on the gameplan and our players wanted to win," said head coach Nikki McCray-Penson. "It was really good to see us play a complete four quarters."
Old Dominion (3-16, 1-4 C-USA) led for 37 of the 40 minutes, including by double figures for the entirety of the second half.
Ashley Jackson led the Monarchs with a career-high 20 points and nine rebounds. Overall, ODU outrebounded Marshall (6-11, 0-4 C-USA), 38-26, and committed just eight turnovers, tying its season low.
"My teammates gave me energy," said Jackson. "They have confidence in me and that's what set the tone for the game."
Leading by one at the end of the first quarter, Old Dominion broke the game open with an 11-0 run to open the second quarter. ODU went on to outscore the Herd, 18-6, in the second and led 35-22 at the half.
ODU continued that momentum into the second half, outscoring Marshall, 23-12, in the third. Marshall was unable to trim the lead to less than 16 after halftime.
In addition to Jackson, three other players finished in double figures for ODU. Odegua Oigbokie scored 16 points and Taylor Edwards finished with 14 points for her third straight 10+ scoring game. Victoria Morris added 12 points and a career-high four assists.
"When you have four players scoring the ball in double figures, you give yourself a chance," said McCray. "And we did some things defensively that gave us an edge."
Up next, the Monarchs host UTSA on Saturday at 7 p.m. for Alumni Night. Tickets are available at YNotTix.com.
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