Old Dominion (14-4, 4-2 C-USA) at Charlotte (9-6, 5-0 C-USA)
Game Info – Saturday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m.
Location – Halton Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
Watch – ESPN+
Listen – ESPN Radio 94.1 FM
Live Stats – Click Here
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Game Notes – ODU
NORFOLK, Va. – For the second time in four days, the Old Dominion women's basketball team squares off with Charlotte in a high-stakes Conference USA tilt. The game is streaming live on ESPN+ and is being carried over the airwaves on ESPN Radio 94.1 FM.
The Starting Five
On Jan. 20, head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones was announced as a finalist for the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022. Milton-Jones boasts an accolade-filled career in the game. She received the Wade Trophy in 1997 as the best player in college basketball and won two Olympic gold medals and two WNBA titles.
The Monarchs staged a furious comeback inside the final two minutes but ultimately fell 64-61 at home to Charlotte on Wednesday. ODU trailed 60-49 with two minutes remaining. One minute and 37 seconds later, the Monarchs tied the score at 61-all on a three-point play by Brianna Jackson. Old Dominion missed a potential game-winning shot with 10 seconds remaining and saw a game-tying 3-pointer get blocked at the buzzer.
Wednesday's game was just the latest in a string of closely-contested games between Old Dominion and Charlotte. The two sides went beyond regulation in all three games last season, including a pair of double-overtime fixtures. The average margin of victory of the winning team in the last four games of this series is 5.25.
The Monarchs are one of the tightest defensive units in the country this year. ODU entered Thursday ranked ninth nationally and first in C-USA in scoring defense (51.9). The Monarchs are 45th in field goal percentage defense (.364) and 24th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.258). ODU is turning teams over 22.22 times per game (13th in DI) while averaging the 19th-most steals per game (11.6) 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 21-6 (.777) since that Feb. 19 loss to UAB. Those are the most wins by a C-USA team over that span, and no team in C-USA can match ODU's win percentage since Feb. 19.
Scouting Charlotte
The 49ers enter Saturday with a 9-6 record and are the final unbeaten team in C-USA play, sitting at 5-0.
Conference USA Co-Preseason Player of the Year Octavia Jett-Wilson leads the team with 19.9 points per game and is 29-for-77 (.377) from 3-point range.
KeKe McKinney leads the way with 7.3 rebounds per game and chips in 7.4 points per game as well. Mikayla Boykin averages 12.3 points per game and leads the team with 29 steals.
Jada McMillian is tops on the team with 77 assists and averages 8.7 points per game.
The Series
Old Dominion and Charlotte are meeting for the 21st time on Saturday in a series that has developed a rivalry flavor. ODU holds a 16-14 all-time mark over the 49ers.
The Monarchs staged a furious comeback inside the final two minutes but ultimately fell 64-61 at home to Charlotte on Wednesday. ODU trailed 60-49 with two minutes remaining. One minute and 37 seconds later, the Monarchs tied the score at 61-all on a three-point play by Brianna Jackson. Old Dominion missed a potential game-winning shot with 10 seconds remaining and saw a game-tying 3-pointer get blocked at the buzzer.
The two sides met three times last season. Each of those three games went into overtime, including a pair of double-OT contests. In total, ODU and Charlotte played five overtime periods last season.
The 49ers won both regular season games, but the Monarchs got the last laugh with a 90-82 double-overtime victory in the Conference USA Tournament Quarterfinals. Amari Young set a career high with 31 points and notched a double-double with 10 boards. Ajah Wayne chipped in 23 as well.
What's Next
The Monarchs remain on the road for games at Marshall (Feb. 3) and WKU (Feb. 5) before hosting FIU on Feb. 7.
Women’s Basketball Set for Saturday Rematch with Charlotte
