NORFOLK, Va. -- On a snowy evening in Hampton Roads, the Old Dominion women's basketball team lost its Conference USA opener to UAB, 74-61, on Thursday at the Ted Constant Center.
"I thought our kids really showed some resolve and some fight," said head coach Nikki McCray-Penson. "We're a resilient bunch, but when we dig ourselves in a hole, fatigue plays a factor."
Facing a 21-point deficit late in the third quarter, Old Dominion (2-12, 0-2 C-USA) mounted a 12-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to cut the UAB (12-2, 2-0 C-USA) lead to single digits at 57-48.
However, the Blazers responded with a 10-0 run of their own to pull away from the Monarchs in the fourth. ODU held a 38-33 advantage on the glass, but the Blazers shot 46 percent from the field and 50 percent from three.
ODU outscored UAB in the second half, 34-33, but the Blazers' big second quarter in which they outscored ODU, 24-13, proved to be the difference.
"The positives were that we outrebounded this team. 16 offensive rebounds," said McCray. "And we only had 13 turnovers and just four in the second half, which was crucial. That was why we outscored them in the second half."
Victoria Morris led ODU with 19 points, while MaKayla Timmons added 17 points, six rebounds and a team-high six assists. Odegua Oigbokie recorded her fifth straight double-figure scoring game with 14 points and eight rebounds.
UAB' Miyah Barnes led all scorers with 24 points to go along with nine assists.
"We're trying to establish ourselves," said McCray. "I'm trying to get our team to be aggressive on both sides of the ball."
Up next, ODU hosts Charlotte on Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
FOLLOW ODU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow @ODUWBB on Twitter for the latest updates on the Monarchs.