Old Dominion (20-6, 10-4 C-USA) at Florida Atlantic (5-10, 1-13 C-USA)
Game Info – Thursday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m.
Location – FAU Arena (Boca Raton, Fla.)
Watch – CUSA.tv
Listen – Money Talk 1310 AM, 100.9 FM and 97.3 HD2
Live Stats – Click Here
Game Notes – ODU
Old Dominion at FIU
Game Info – Saturday, Feb. 26 at noon
Location – Ocean Bank Convocation Center (Miami, Fla.)
Watch – CUSA.tv
Listen – ESPN Radio 94.1 FM
Live Stats – Click Here
Game Notes – Click Here
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion women's basketball team tangles with a pair of Florida schools as the regular season winds down. The Monarchs play at Florida Atlantic at 6 p.m. on Thursday before a noon showdown with FIU on Saturday. Both games are streaming live on CUSA.tv. Thursday's game is being broadcast on Money Talk 1310 AM, 100.9 FM and 97.3 HD2. Saturday's game will be on the air on ESPN Radio 94.1 FM.
The Starting Five
On Feb. 14, head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones was announced as a member of 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. She is the seventh individual with ODU ties to reach the hall and is just the 13th active DI head coach in the WBHOF.
The Monarchs celebrated Senior Day with a 75-55 win over WKU on Saturday. Aziah Hudson netted a season-high 22 points in the win, going 8-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Iggy Allen posted a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double as well. ODU grabbed 21 offensive boards and outrebounded the Lady Toppers 51-39.
The Monarchs are one of the tightest defensive units in the country this year. ODU entered Wednesday ranked 14th nationally and first in C-USA in scoring defense (54.2). The Monarchs are 43rd in field goal percentage defense (.365) and 54th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.278). ODU is turning teams over 20.92 times per game (16th in DI, 1st in C-USA) while averaging the 21st-most steals per game (10.8) in the country. Additionally, ODU is second in the conference and 38th in DI with 4.5 blocks per game.
Old Dominion enters the weekend third in the C-USA East Division, one game behind second place Middle Tennessee and two behind leader Charlotte. The Monarchs remain in contention for the divisional title and control their own destiny in the hunt for a top-two finish a double-bye into the C-USA Quarterfinals.
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 27-8 (.771) 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 Florida Atlantic
The Owls are 5-20 overall, 1-13 in Conference USA and on a seven-game losing streak.
FAU fell 72-49 at Middle Tennessee on Saturday. Alexa Zaph paced the Owls with 16 points and five rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting. Rita Pleskevich chipped in 13 points and sank a 3-pointer.
Pleskevich has played every game this season and leads the team with 11.5 points per game. Sofia Galeron averages 8.1 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting .362 from 3-point range.
Scouting FIU
The Panthers own a 12-13 overall mark and are 4-10 in conference play. FIU has lost its last three contests, including a 53-41 decision at Charlotte on Monday. The Panthers will host the 49ers on Thursday night.
Ariel Colón leads FIU in scoring at 12.4 points per game while shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from deep. The graduate student also averages 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Joining Colón in double figures on the season is Kyla Nelson (11.8). Emerald Ekpiteta is the Panthers' leading rebounder (6.8), and Tanajah Hayes tops the team in assists (3.4).
The Series
ODU and Florida Atlantic are meeting for the 14th time on Thursday. The Monarchs have won every game they have ever played against the Owls, including a 61-48 result at Chartway Arena on Jan. 17. The Monarchs turned the Owls over 31 times in that win and received a game-high 22 points from Ajah Wayne. Wayne shot 8-of-16 from the field, was 6-of-6 from the foul line and grabbed eight rebounds. Allen scored 13 points and had 12 boards against her former team.
The Monarchs and Panthers will meet for the 15th time on Saturday. ODU is 9-5 all-time against FIU, including an 8-2 mark in the last 10 games. Old Dominion won 73-61 in the first meeting this season on Feb. 7. In that game, the Monarchs shot 45.2 percent from the floor and were 5-of-11 from deep. Amari Young and Wayne shared the game high with 15 points. Young pulled down nine boards and had two steals, and Wayne contributed six rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
What's Next
The Monarchs host LA Tech in their home finale on Wednesday, March 2 at 6:30 p.m. before wrapping up the regular season at Middle Tennessee on Saturday, March 5 at 3 p.m. ET.
Women’s Hoops Takes Sunshine State Swing
