Old Dominion (16-5, 6-3 C-USA) vs. FIU (11-9, 3-6 C-USA)
Game Info – Monday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Location – Chartway Arena (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – CUSA.tv
Listen – ESPN Radio 94.1 FM
Live Stats – Click here
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion women's basketball team begins the second half of its Conference USA campaign when it hosts FIU for a 6:30 p.m. tilt on Monday. The game is streaming live on CUSA.tv with the radio broadcast on ESPN Radio 94.1 FM.
The Starting Five
Down 43-22 at the half, the Old Dominion women's basketball team made a concerted push in the third quarter only to fall 71-57 at WKU on Saturday afternoon. The Monarchs opened the half on a 12-0 run and netted 19 of the first 20 points, cutting the deficit to three points on two occasions. The Monarchs kept the Lady Toppers without a point for the first 5:58 of the third quarter. WKU made just one of its 16 attempts from the field (.063) in the period and did not score that basket until the 23-second mark of the quarter.
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 class will be announced on the night of Feb. 14.
The Monarchs are one of the tightest defensive units in the country this year. ODU entered Sunday ranked ninth nationally and first in C-USA in scoring defense (52.3). The Monarchs are 27th in field goal percentage defense (.357) and 24th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.261), good for first and third in C-USA, respectively. ODU is turning teams over 21.24 times per game (16th in DI) while averaging the 22nd-most steals per game (11.1) 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 23-7 (.767) 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.
ODU is 7-2 inside Chartway Arena this season and is 13-8 (.619) at home under Milton-Jones.
Scouting FIU
The Panthers enter Monday with an 11-9 overall record and a 3-6 mark in C-USA. FIU lost a pair of games at Southern Miss (65-64) and LA Tech (81-62) in its last round of conference games.
Two Panthers – Kyla Nelson (12.7) and Ariel Colón (11.5) – average more than 10 points per game. Nelson has made 51 3-pointers this season and is shooting 37.0 percent from deep. Colón has hit 26 treys this season.
Emerald Ekpiteta is FIU's leading rebounder at 6.7 per game and is second on the team with 29 steals. Tanajah Hayes is tops on the team in assists (3.5 per game) and steals (2.4).
The Series
Old Dominion is 8-5 all-time against the Panthers and 7-2 since joining Conference USA. The Monarchs dropped a pair of games to FIU last season, snapping a seven-game winning streak.
Amari Young enjoyed two 20-point games against the Panthers last season. She had 21 points with seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks in the first game before following with 23 points, 15 boards and two blocks the next day.
What's Next
ODU welcomes Middle Tennessee to Chartway Arena for a 6:30 p.m. game on Thursday before traveling to C-USA West Division leaders UAB on Sunday.
Women’s Basketball Hosts FIU on Monday Night
