By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – Bowie State has been among the nation's better Division II women's basketball programs in recent years, but the Bulldogs were absolutely demolished Wednesday night by an Old Dominion team that continues to pick up steam.
ODU rolled past Bowie State, 70-29, at Chartway Arena to win its fifth game in a row. It was the most lopsided victory for ODU (7-2) since an 85-34 victory over Mount St. Mary's two years ago in the first Anne Donovan Classic at ODU.
And it could have been worse. Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones went to her bench early and often. Every player who dressed scored and no one played more than 20 minutes.
Amari Young and Ajah Wayne led ODU with 11 points apiece. Wayne, who is ODU's leading scorer this season, took just four shots.
ODU already had the nation's 20th-best scoring defense, allowing 51.9 points per game, and clearly will move up several notches in that category.
Milton-Jones said she was appreciative of the crowd of 1,591, which included SportsCenter broadcaster Jay Harris, an ODU graduate who has waged a public campaign to try to bring more fans out to ODU women's basketball games. But she said her team deserves more fan support and urged fans to turn out in larger numbers at future home games.
"You have two teams at ODU that you can support," she said. "When the men's team is away, we're at home.
"Everyone needs to understand, our girls work just as hard (as men's basketball players). They're killing it in the classroom, they're model citizens, and they represent this University with pride. So, the community and the student population as a whole need to come out and show some appreciation and some love."
Taleah Washington, a junior transfer from Syracuse who had six points and led ODU with five assists, echoed her coach's sentiments
"It feels good to see that kind of recognition not only for us as a team but for our coach," she said of Harris.
The outcome was never in doubt. ODU took a 15-0 lead on an Aziah Hudson three-point shot with 1:02 left in a first quarter in which the Monarchs came close to pitching a shutout. Chyna Butler broke the shutout by rolling in a layup with 49 seconds left in the first quarter.
ODU forced 30 Bowie State turnovers that led to 35 ODU points. ODU's bench had 40 points, more than Bowie's entire team.
Milton-Jones said she was happy with the victory but not with how her team performed.
"Yes, we won by 40-plus points, but we are in the pursuit of excellence here," she said.
"We will not be become mediocre in our mindset or in our work. For us the march is for March.
"We're trying to get back to the NCAA tournament. We know we're playing in a one-bid league. We have to win. And if we want to win, we've got play a certain type of way."
And she said that begins with defense, and she gave her defense a grade of C-minus.
Brianna Jackson, the transfer Miami (Fla.) from Virginia Beach, said Milton-Jones has emphasized a well-known basketball axiom that says, "hard works beats talent when talent fails to work hard."
"We're very talented," said Jackson, who had seven points, three blocked shots and three rebounds in less than 14 minutes.
"But we're unbeatable if we work hard at the same time."
Bowie State (2-4) did not play last season because of the pandemic but had won 20 or more games in the previous four seasons, including a 25-5 record in 2019-20, when the Bulldogs advanced to the CIAA championship game.
Since losing at home to George Washington by two points and a 23-point road loss at VCU, the Monarchs have won five in a row with ease, including a victory over Power 5 team Texas Tech.
"I'm very happy about it," Milton-Jones said of the winning streak. "But I'm going to stay mad as a hornet until we've won ten in a row.
"I want to keep winning and I want to keep stressing the point for the community to come out. Be the sixth man for us."
The next chance to see the ODU women comes Sunday afternoon when the Monarchs host cross-town rival Norfolk State at 2 p.m. The Spartans are 3-5, but have played a difficult schedule that includes losses at Indiana and Ohio State.
ODU then plays at future Sun Belt Conference opponent Appalachian State on December 18 and at Temple on Dec. 22 to close out their non-conference schedule. ODU opens Conference USA play on Dec. 30, when the Monarchs host FIU.
Game Notes
- Bowie State's 29 points were the fewest allowed by a Conference USA team since Marshall surrendered 29 in a Nov. 20, 2018 game against Bluefield State.
- The Monarchs' 41-point margin of victory was its largest since they won 85-34 over Mount St. Mary's in the Anne Donovan Classic on Dec. 21, 2019.
- Wednesday night was the first time the Old Dominion defense allowed fewer than 30 points since a 41-26 win over Presbyterian on Nov. 14, 2014.
- The five-game win streak matches the longest winning streak under head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones. Last season, ODU won the last two games of the regular season before winning three games in three nights to reach the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament as a No. 6 seed.
- Ajah Wayne scored 11 points and moved into 29th place on the all-time scoring ledger at ODU. She now has 1,068 career points.
- The Monarchs are outscoring their competition by 19 points per game over their winning streak.
- Bowie State's 26.8-percent mark from the field was the second-lowest shooting percentage by an opponent this season. Only Auburn (.254) shot it worse against the Monarchs.
- Old Dominion forced 30 or more turnovers for the second time this season. The Monarchs are turning teams over 21.4 time per contest this season.
- All 13 active Monarchs scored on Wednesday night. No one played more than Joy Campbell's 20 minutes, and all 13 players logged at least 10 minutes of action.
- Six Monarchs matched or set their season highs in scoring.
- The Monarchs scored 21 unanswered points across the second and third quarters, their largest scoring run of the season.