By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – On a night when Old Dominion continued to celebrate the recent announcement that coach DeLisha Milton-Jones will be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, Marshall University seemed determined to spoil the party.
And the Herd succeeded, outhustling and outshooting ODU to claim a 64-48 victory over the Monarchs.
Marshall bombed away from long range, making nine of 19 3-point shots, played with more energy than did the Monarchs and celebrated the victory with gusto.
Milton-Jones received a standing ovation prior to the game from the energetic Chartway Arena crowd of 1,765, and the game was interspersed with videos from her players, former ODU great Nancy Lieberman and ESPN sportscaster Jay Harris.
"I feel like Marshall came out with a lot of incentive," Milton-Jones said. "They were very motivated.
"They wanted to be the spoilers. They had a zest about everything they were doing on the court. Because they played with that level of intensity, that changed the whole course of the game for us.
"We didn't come out and have the usual intensity we have."
She said she worried that celebrating her induction might be a distraction.
"But we've learned from this, and now it's time to put this behind us and move on," she said.
ODU (19-6, 9-4 Conference USA) faces a likely must-win game against WKU on Saturday if the Monarchs are to claim one of two coveted byes into the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament.
A victory Thursday night would have given the Monarchs their 20th victory and moved them into a second-place tie in the East Division with Middle Tennessee. The top two teams in each division receive byes.
Marshall (13-10, 8-6) was led by Savannah Wheeler, a 5-foot-6 sophomore from Catlettsburg, Kentucky, who made nine of 16 shots and all nine three throws to lead the Herd with 30 points.
ODU trailed by 10 at halftime but then fought its way back into the game with an 11-0 run to start the third quarter.
That run gave ODU a brief 36-35 lead nearly four minutes into the third quarter. Marshall missed its first six shots during that stretch, and Ajah Wayne, who led ODU with 23 points, scored eight during that run.
But Wheeler made a step back jump shot to put the Herd back on top, 37-36, and although the game remained close until the fourth quarter, Marshall led the rest of the way.
Marshall opened the fourth quarter with four long jump shots, including 3-pointers from Kennedi Colclough and Aaliyah Dunham and blew the Monarchs out.
ODU made just three of 17 shots in the final period while Marshall made eight of 12, including three of four 3-point shots.
Marshall led by as many as 19 points, and players and coaches turned the final minutes into something of a Herd pep rally.
"We didn't shut down number four (Wheeler) like we did the last time and didn't play defense like we normally do," Wayne said. "We just had too many breakdowns."
"When we did shut down the 3-point shots, then we gave them open 2-point shots," added Amari Young. "We've got to defend those shots, too."
Milton-Jones said her players need to understand that the more games they win, the harder opponents are going to come after them.
"We have to realize that teams are going to come for us because they recognize who we are and want to take us off our pedestal," she said.
"You have to tip your hat to Marshall. They shot the lights out. The basket seemed as wide as the ocean for them.
"They're a spirited group, and that means your team is energized and you're feeding off of one another.
"It shows us they must think very highly of us. They recognize who we are, maybe more than we recognize who we are. We have to understand we are going to get everyone's best effort.
"And they're going to have to play a near-perfect game like that and shoot the lights out to beat us. But when that happens, we have to understand, we still have an opportunity to win, that if we respond and play defense like we should be playing, we can still win."
Saturday's game with WKU begins at 2 p.m. and is senior recognition night. It is also the Hoops for the Cure game, ODU's annual game celebrating cancer survivors.
ODU Women's Basketball Team Beaten by Hot-Shooting Marshall, 64-48
