NORFOLK, Va. – In a game that the Old Dominion men's basketball team (4-9, 0-0 C-USA) never trailed, the Monarchs proved to be too much for Maryland Eastern-Shore (1-13, 0-0 MEAC) in a 76-52 victory on Sunday afternoon at Chartway Arena. The win snapped the Monarchs' eight-game losing streak.
"It was important to get a win and it feels good," said ODU head coach Jeff Jones. "I think the whole mood of the team is extremely positive. It has been a little bit of a turbulent 72 hours, but we are excited moving forward and I think you could see it out there, that was a group of guys with great energy, great effort and great enthusiasm. Our guys played for each other and enjoyed this opportunity. I'm excited to coach that mentality."
Aaron Carver went for a double-double, scoring a career-high 16 points on 7-8 shooting from the floor, to go along with a game-high 16 rebounds. A.J. Oliver II followed with 13 points and seven boards. Also in double-figures for ODU was Jason Wade, who finished with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.
For the game, Old Dominion held advantages for rebounds (47-29), assists (19-10), second chance points (14-0), points in the paint (39-29) and points off turnovers (15-8).
The Monarchs led for 39:31, while the game was tied for 29-seconds.
Old Dominion shot 81.3% (13-16) from the charity stripe for the game. ODU's defense held the Hawks to 33.9% (20-59) from the floor and 23.8% (5-21) from deep.
The Monarchs are now 11-0 all-time against Maryland Eastern-Shore.
Old Dominion will return to the hardwood on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 7:00 p.m., when the Monarchs welcome Middle Tennessee for the Conference USA opener at Chartway Arena. Thursday's contest will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
ODU Never Trails in 76-52 Victory Over UMES
