BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Old Dominion women's basketball team shot 50 percent from the field and made 11 of its 19 attempts from 3-point range in an 81-75 win at UAB on Sunday afternoon.
"I told the players late in the game 'we grew today,'" head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones said. "We grew because now we're listening and we're showing that we can be disciplined. And now we can just execute and pick teams apart, especially on the offensive end, and we can be rather disruptive on the defensive end and dictate what teams are allowed to do."
The Monarchs (19-5, 9-3 C-USA) had their highest-scoring conference game this season and posted the second-most points in game this year (85 at Appalachian State, Dec. 18). ODU's .500 percentage from the floor was its second highest this season, and its 11 treys and .545 shooting percentage from deep were both season highs.
Iggy Allen had her best performance of the year, finishing with 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting. She set season highs in points and field goals made and hit a new career high with six 3-pointers.
ODU trailed 22-17 after the first quarter behind an early barrage from the Blazers (13-9, 6-5). UAB made eight of its first 10 shot attempts and was 3-of-3 from deep in the quarter. Margaret Whitley had nine points for the home team in the first. The Monarchs kept pace through the first six minutes and were up 12-10 on an Amari Young Layup with 3:47 to play. UAB answered with a 6-0, which Kaye Clark broke with a trey. The Monarchs were within three inside the last 30 seconds, but a late jumper from the Blazers made it a five-point margin going into the second quarter.
The Blazers cooled off in the second quarter but still led 35-33 at the intermission. UAB made 6-of-15 in the quarter and was 1-of-5 from deep. After making two of their first three from deep in the first, the Monarchs made three more triples in the second quarter. The first of those three treys came just 16 seconds into the quarter as Aziah Hudson connected from deep. Brianna Jackson tied the score at 22-all with 8:48 to play, but UAB answered with a 6-0 run. For the second time in the half, Clark ended the run with a 3-pointer, and Ajah Wayne scored a layup to pull the Monarchs within a point, 28-27. The Blazers kept Old Dominion at arm's length until the final 90 seconds, when Mariah Adams hit a jumper to tie the game at 33-33. Zakyia Weathersby scored the final points of the half with 1:15 to go.
Old Dominion flipped the game in the third quarter, outscoring UAB 31-25 to take a 64-60 lead going into the final period. The Monarchs shot 64.7 percent in the third and made four of their six 3-pointers. Allen exploded in the third with 15 points and all four of ODU's treys. UAB led 41-35 with 8:34 left on the clock, prompting an early timeout from Milton-Jones. That timeout had the desired effect as ODU ran out to a 12-2 run to build a 47-43 lead. Young provided six of ODU's 12 points in that span, and Jackson had four.
UAB had one final push in them in the form of a 11-3 run to go back ahead 54-50 with two minutes to play. Allen responded with a personal 6-0 run to give ODU the lead for good. Hudson added a layup with 1:12 on the clock, and Allen poured in two more 3-pointers to close out the quarter.
ODU thrice built a 10-point edge in the fourth, it's largest of the game, behind continued sweet shooting and its best defensive showing of the game. The Monarchs made two more triples in the fourth and were 6-of-12 from the field overall. ODU held UAB to 37.5-percent shooting in the quarter.
Wayne got the Monarchs going in the fourth with five unanswered points, including a trey to make it 69-60 with 8:35 to play. After a Weathersby jumper, Wayne scored another basket to restore the nine-point lead. The Monarchs went two minutes without another point, but Allen broke that drought with another trey to put ODU ahead by 10, 74-64. The Monarchs' lead was still 10 inside the final 3:30 when UAB scored five unanswered. Jackson laid it in with 15 seconds left for ODU's final points of the game.
ODU's 81 points were the most scored in regulation in a Conference USA game since a 92-85 loss to FIU on Jan. 1, 2021. The Monarchs shot 50 percent from the field for the first time since going 30-of-60 from the floor in an 80-70 win at Marshall on Feb. 5, 2021.
Young (15) and Wayne (13) joined Allen in double figures for the Monarchs. Young was 6-of-9 from the field and had two blocks and one steal. Wayne had four rebounds and two steals.
Jackson finished with eight points and seven boards and matched season highs with three blocks and three steals. Mariah Adams had five points and six assists and did not commit a turnover.
UAB outrebounded ODU 29-24 and enjoyed a 34-28 edge in points in the paint. The Monarchs turned over the Blazers 20 times and scored 24 points off those miscues.
The Monarchs have a pair of C-USA rematches at home coming up. ODU hosts Marshall on Feb. 17 and WKU on Feb. 19.
Women’s Basketball Shoots Past UAB, 81-75
