Old Dominion (17-5, 7-3 C-USA) vs. Middle Tennessee (16-4, 8-2 C-USA)
Game Info – Thursday, Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Location – Chartway Arena (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – CUSA.tv
Listen – Money Talk 1310 AM, 100.9 FM and 97.3 HD2
Live Stats – Click Here
Game Notes – ODU | MTSU
NORFOLK, Va. – Two of the top teams in the Conference USA East Division go at it on Thursday when the Old Dominion women's basketball team welcomes Middle Tennessee for a 6:30 p.m. tip. The game is streaming live on CUSA.tv with the radio broadcast on Money Talk 1310 AM, 100.9 FM and 97.3 HD2.
The Starting Five
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 overcame foul trouble and outran, outrebounded and outshot high-octane FIU in a 73-61 win on Monday. FIU made just 20 of 55 shots (36.4 percent) and only three of 12 three-pointers (25 percent). ODU, meanwhile, made 28 of 62 shots (45.2 percent) and 5 of 11 three pointers (45.5 percent). The Monarchs outrebounded FIU, 41-36, had 15 assists to FIU's seven and blocked eight shots.
ODU is 8-2 inside Chartway Arena this season and is 14-8 (.636) at home under Milton-Jones.
The Monarchs are one of the tightest defensive units in the country this year. ODU entered Wednesday ranked ninth nationally and first in C-USA in scoring defense (52.7). The Monarchs are 26th in field goal percentage defense (.358) and 21st in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.260), good for first and third in C-USA, respectively. ODU is turning teams over 21.32 times per game (15th in DI, 2nd in C-USA) while averaging the 23rd-most steals per game (11.1) in the country. Additionally, ODU is tops in the conference and 49th in DI with 4.5 blocks per game.
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 24-7 (.774) 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 MTSU
The Lady Raiders sit at 16-4 overall and 8-2 in C-USA. MTSU is alone in second place in the East Division, one game behind Charlotte and one game ahead of the Monarchs. Last season, Middle Tennessee won the East Division and reached the championship game of the conference tournament.
MTSU is on a four-game winning streak and most-recently defeated UAB, 75-55 at home, on Feb. 5. Four Lady Raiders broke double figures in that game, led by Dor Saar with 17.
Saar ranks first in the conference in treys attempted (170) and made (55) and is third in percentage from behind the arc (.324). Courtney Whitson ranks third in C-USA with 41 triples and is shooting .311 from deep.
As a team, MTSU is first in C-USA in 3-point field goals (193), 3-point field goals per game (9.7) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.240). The Lady Raiders shoot 31.6 percent from deep, second-best in the conference.
Kseniya Malashka is MTSU's leading scorer on the season at 13.8 points per game. She is one of four players who averages more than 10 a night. Courtney Whitson is MTSU's leading rebounder (7.3), and Saar leads the team in assists (3.3).
The Series
ODU and Middle Tennessee are meeting for the 13th time on Thursday. The Lady Raiders lead the series 7-5. The two sides split a pair of games in Murfreesboro last season.
The Monarchs won the first game 74-57 to jumpstart their late-season surge. Old Dominion shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the game and received double-digit points from Ajah Wayne (18), Maggie Robinson (14), Amari Young (14) and Aziah Hudson (11). Wayne and Young posted double-doubles with 12 and 13 rebounds, respectively.
What's Next
ODU takes to the road for a 1 p.m. ET game with UAB on Sunday. After that, the Monarchs host Marshall on Feb. 17 and WKU on Feb. 19.
Women’s Basketball Welcomes Middle Tennessee for Thursday Night Tilt
