KATY, Texas – Trailing by three points with 6:31 left in the game, the Old Dominion women's basketball team scored 18-unanswered points to regain control in an eventual 61-51 win over Stetson to close out the Van Chancellor Classic. The win was the 50th in head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones' career.
ODU (5-2) led 43-40 going into the final quarter, but Stetson (4-3) soon edged ahead 45-42 for its largest lead of the game. Kaye Clark scored on the next possession to cut the deficit to a point and kickstart the Monarchs' surge. Following a Jamiya Turner turnover, Amari Young laid it in to put Old Dominion ahead for good, 46-45. ODU restored its double-digit advantage with 2:18 left on the clock, when Mariah Adams stole the ball and went the length of the court for a layup. Iggy Allen provided the dagger with a steal and 3-pointer to make it a 59-45 game with 1:53 to play.
"I asked the players 'when's the last time you did something monumental,'" Milton-Jones said. "This is monumental for us. We beat Auburn but then had a two-game slide. We beat Texas Tech yesterday. What are we going to after that? We can do something monumental, so hang your hat on your work ethic and mentality as a unit. Don't let circumstances determine if we win or lose. Let it be determined by your talent and your effort."
Stetson ended a scoring drought of 5:33 with a pair of Turner free throws with 58 seconds remaining. During the dry spell, the Hatters missed all four of their shot attempts while turning it over five times. The Monarchs hit six of their eight shots during the 18-0 run.
Old Dominion held Stetson to just one made basket in the first quarter and led 14-7 after the opening 10 minutes. The Hatters were 1-for-9 from the field with eight turnovers but stayed in the game with a 5-of-5 showing at the foul line. Clark energized the Monarchs off the bench in the first, scoring seven points without missing a shot. The guard from Milwaukee needed just four seconds to score her first points of the game, checking in at the 7:16 mark and canning a 3-pointer with 7:12 on the clock.
In her first game as a reserve, Clark set season highs in points (15) and minutes played (37) while shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-3 from deep. Clark also chipped in three steals, two assists and two boards.
"Kaye has a knack of lurking and getting her hands on the basketball," Milton-Jones said. "If she gets a piece of the ball, nine times out of 10 she's going to get the steal. She's a special type of basketball player."
ODU built its largest lead of the first half at 27-16 with 2:22 to play in the second quarter, but Stetson closed the half on an 8-0 run to make it a one-score game at the break, 27-24. The Hatters outscored the Monarchs 17-13 in the second quarter.
Old Dominion shot 40 percent in the first half and had nine assists on 11 made baskets.
An Allen trey gave the Monarchs a 32-26 lead less than two minutes into the second half, but another 8-0 run from the Hatters gave Stetson its first lead of the game at 34-32. The Hatters made a pair of 3-pointers during that run but would not make another trey for the remainder of the game. Allen tied the score on the next trip down the court, starting a 6-0 run by ODU.
For the game, Old Dominion shot 42.3 percent from the floor and 6-of-14 (.429) from deep. The Monarchs recorded assists on 18 of their 22 made baskets. In their three games at the Van Chancellor Classic, the Monarchs shot .419 from the field and .432 from 3-point range while averaging 15.3 assists per game.
Allen netted a game-high 16 points for the Monarchs with six rebounds, three steals and a career-high seven assists. Adams filled the stat sheet once again on Sunday, producing nine points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals. Adams averaged 6.3 assists and 3.3 steals per game at the Van Chancellor Classic.
The Monarchs now take a week off before playing at William & Mary on Dec. 5. After that, ODU returns home for games against Bowie State (Dec. 8) and Norfolk State (Dec. 12).
Women’s Hoops Runs Away Late in 61-51 win over Stetson
