HOUSTON, Texas – The Old Dominion (24-6, 14-4 C-USA) women's basketball team dropped a 73-70 heartbreaker to Rice (21-8, 16-2 C-USA) in the final game of the regular season. Behind a career-high 29 points, junior Victoria Morris tied the game with 39 seconds to go. Two pair of drained Owl free throws was too much to comeback from for the Monarchs, despite another Morris triple.
ODU will head into the C-USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas next week as the two seed.
"I thought we put up a good effort on a contenders court. Our defensive breakdowns is what is hurting us and we need to clean that up. A great team like Rice makes you pay," explained head coach McCray after the loss. "I thought our kids battled. We shot well from the free throw line but we need to get better at ball screen defense. I thought we rebounded the ball well but we had some defensive breakdowns where we gave up five points within a minute and they tied the game. We cannot do that."
ODU opened the game with a solid quarter of play, draining four triples and earning six steals. More than halfway through the first frame, ODU led by as many as seven points. Rice answered, taking a two-point lead into the second quarter after knocking in a triple with five seconds on the clock.
In the second quarter of play, Rice opened up to an eight-point lead. The Monarchs trailed the entire quarter, heading into the locker room with a 37-33 deficit. Sophomore Mariah Adams led ODU in scoring for the second quarter, adding six points to the scoreboard.
Following the break, ODU came out solid, outscoring the Owls 21-15 in the third. Morris downed eight points, going three-for-five from the field, which was highlighted by a triple. The Owls turned the ball over three times in that 10 minute period. The two teams were deadlocked three times in that third quarter but an Amari Young jumper and two made free throws from freshman Marie Reichert gave ODU a 54-52 lead heading into the final frame of regulation.
In a wild fourth, the Monarchs opened up strong with a Mariah Adams triple, giving ODU a five-point lead. Momentum began to flip when the Monarchs turned the ball over in back-to-back plays, leading to back-to-back Owl layups, cutting the Monarch lead to just one. ODU fought back with a jumper but Rice gained control with 3:30 left on the clock to take a two-point lead. 10 fourth-quarter points from 2019 C-USA Player of the Year Erica Ogwumike ultimately led the Owls past the Monarchs.
"You want your veterans to step up and that's what she did. Victoria Morris basically carried us. She wanted the ball and she made big shot after shot and that's what you want. We just need some other people to step up and help her out."
WHAT A PLAY BY VICTORIA MORRIS.#Empower | #ODUSports pic.twitter.com/qPTwGCef9y
— ODU Women's Basketball (@ODUWBB) March 7, 2020
Overall, ODU scored 11 points off Owl turnovers. Morris went 11-for-21 from the field and grabbed four rebounds. The Ohio native notched her 1,000 point in her final possession of the game. Young downed her first triple of the season in the second quarter. This is the first time this season ODU dropped back-to-back contests.
Up Next
ODU will head to Frisco, Texas to compete in the 2020 Conference USA Tournament Presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at the Star. The bracket will be released by the C-USA following the completion of all league games Saturday.
Tickets for C-USA Tournament
The Conference USA Women's Basketball Tournament will be played March 11-14 in Frisco, Texas, at the Ford Center at the Star. Click here for ticket information.
FOLLOW ODU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow @ODUWBB on Twitter and like Old Dominion Women's Basketball on Facebook for the latest updates.