Old Dominion (10-2) at UTSA (4-9)
Game Info – Thursday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. ET
Location – Convocation Center (San Antonio, Texas)
Watch – CUSA.tv
Listen – Money Talk 1310 AM, 100.9 FM and 97.3 HD2
Live Stats – Click Here
Old Dominion at UTEP
Game Info – Saturday, Jan. 15 at 3 p.m. ET
Location – Don Haskins Center (El Paso, Texas)
Watch – CUSA.tv
Listen – ESPN Radio 94.1 FM
Live Stats – Click Here
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion women's basketball team begins Conference USA action with a pair of road games against UTSA and UTEP. The Monarchs and Roadrunners play on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. ODU and the Miners square off on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. Both games are streaming live on CUSA.tv. The UTSA game airs live on Money Talk 1310 AM, 100.9 FM and 97.3 HD2, and the UTEP game will be carried on ESPN Radio 94.1 FM.
The Starting Five
The Monarchs are winners of their past eight games, their longest win streak under head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones. During this run, ODU is outscoring opponents by over 20 points per game, shooting 43.2 percent from the floor, averaging 14.8 assists and turning over the competition 24.1 times. The eight-game win streak is tied for the fifth-longest streak in Division I.
ODU's last win came at Temple, 71-68 on Dec. 22. The Monarchs trailed for most of the first half and were down a point with 2:05 left in the game. ODU shot just 35.3 percent, its lowest field goal percentage in nine games, but collected a season-high 26 offensive rebounds and turned the Owls over 25 times. Iggy Allen (22 points, 12 rebounds) and Ajah Wayne (13 points, 11 rebounds) each had double-doubles in the win.
The Monarchs open Conference USA play on Thursday. Old Dominion is one of the favorites in the conference, finishing second in the preseason poll just eight votes behind Charlotte. The Monarchs and 49ers received six first-place votes each. Additionally, ODU landed three players (Iggy Allen, Ajah Wayne, Amari Young) on the all-conference preseason team.
The Monarchs are one of the tightest defensive units in the country this year. ODU entered Tuesday ranked seventh nationally and first in C-USA in scoring defense (50.7). The Monarchs are 33rd in field goal percentage defense (.353) and ninth in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.241). ODU is turning teams over 22.67 times per game (13th in DI) while averaging the 10th-most steals per game (12.8) in the country.
On Feb. 19, 2021 the Monarchs sat at 6-9 overall and 3-8 in Conference USA before ending the season with seven wins in their last nine games. The Monarchs are a combined 17-4 (.810) since that Feb. 19 loss to UAB. Those 17 wins are the most by a C-USA team over that span, and no team in C-USA can match ODU's .810 win percentage since Feb. 19.
Scouting UTSA
The Roadrunners enter Thursday with a 4-9 overall record in their first season under Karen Aston. UTSA won its last game, 68-60 over UAB on Jan. 1. The Roadrunners forced 22 turnovers in that game and received a 21-point outing from Jadyn Pimentel. Pimentel is the conference leader in steals per game at 2.85.
LaPraisjah Johnson, UTSA's leading scorer on the season at 10.8 per game, chipped in a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double as well. Johnson ranks fourth in C-USA in free throw attempts (69) and free throws made (51).
UTSA attacks the offensive glass and ranks first in C-USA with 16.2 offensive rebounds per game. The Roadrunners are also top-five in the conference in free throws attempted and made.
Scouting UTEP
The Miners are 9-3 on the season and host preseason favorites Charlotte on Thursday before welcoming the Monarchs to the Sun City.
UTEP scored a 56-55 home win over Middle Tennessee in its last game on Jan. 1. The Miners were well-balanced in the win with five players scoring between seven and 13 points. For the season, six UTEP players average between 7.5 and 14.0 points per game.
Katia Gallegos leads UTEP in scoring at 14.0 points per game and is the leading assister as well, dishing out 3.8 per game. Elina Arike is a box score filler for the Miners, averaging 10.2 points, a team-high 8.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting .463 from the floor. She currently ranks sixth in C-USA in rebounds per game.
The Series
Old Dominion is 6-4 all-time against UTSA and enters Thursday on a three-game winning streak over the Roadrunners. The Monarchs hold an 8-2 edge in the series with UTEP and have won the last six meetings.
What's Next
ODU faces a quick turnaround as it hosts Florida Atlantic on Monday at 1:30 p.m. Monday's game is streaming live on ESPN+.
Women’s Basketball Takes to UTSA, UTEP to Open C-USA Play
