MIAMI – The Old Dominion women's basketball team used a hot start from the field to down FIU 81-69 on Saturday. The Monarchs (22-6, 12-4 C-USA) shot over 50 percent in the first half and led by 17 at the break.
"We had our sights set on setting the tone," head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones said. "We were able to get to some things early based on how aggressive they were defensively, and we shot well. We had some lulls here and there, and their bench came in and produced in a major way. But we were able to weather the storm and still come away with a solid win."
Iggy Allen scored 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting with four rebounds and a season-high four steals. The native of Pompano Beach, Florida made a pair of 3-pointers and went 7-of-8 from the foul line. Allen was joined in double figures by Ajah Wayne (19), Amari Young (12) and Mariah Adams (10), and both Young and Wayne fell one rebound short of a double-double.
ODU made eight of 18 shot attempts in the first quarter and led 17-13 after 10 minutes. Young scored the first six points of the game for the Monarchs before passing the baton over the Allen, who laid it in then sank a 3-pointer to give ODU an 11-3 lead. Another Allen basket made it a 17-10 game with 3:56 left in the quarter, but Old Dominion failed to score another point in the frame.
The Monarchs found another gear in the second quarter, shooting 12-of-19 (.632) and making three of five attempts from downtown. Allen scored nine points in the second, and Wayne chipped in seven. That tandem scored the first 12 points of the second for ODU. An Allen jumper gave the Monarchs their first double-digit edge at 27-16 with 7:17 left in the half. After an Emerald Ekpiteta layup made it a nine-point margin, Wayne scored a layup to push the lead to double figures again where it would stay until late in the fourth. Kaylen Nelson gave the Monarchs their largest lead of the game at 44-25 with a 3-pointer with 80 seconds left in the half. Nelson scored again with 18 seconds to play to send Old Dominion into the break at 46-29.
FIU (12-15, 4-12) shaved a point off the deficit in the third as ODU went into the final period up 63-48. The Panthers made a greater push in the fourth, getting to within seven at 71-64 with 1:43 to play, but the Monarchs kept their composure and made eight free throws in a row over the last 1:13 to keep FIU at bay.
ODU led 67-48 less than a minute into the fourth following a layup and two free throws from Young, but the Panthers responded with a 16-4 run. Ekpiteta capped the run with a layup that made the score 71-64. Allen broke the run with a layup then scored six straight from the foul line to restore ODU's double-digit lead.
For the game, the Monarchs went to the foul line 17 times and made 15. The 88.2 percent mark from the foul line is ODU's best this season. Adams was 4-for-4 from the line, and both Young and Wayne made two foul shots without a miss.
Adams recorded six assists on Saturday and turned the ball over just once. She now has 15 assists and one turnover in her last two games.
The Monarchs return to Chartway Arena for their final home game this Wednesday against LA Tech. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. ODU then wraps up the regular season at Middle Tennessee on Saturday.
Strong Start Carries Women’s Basketball Past FIU, 81-69
