By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – Mekhi Long is the consummate, unselfish basketball player, the guy who plays great defense, hustles and dives for loose balls.
But Monday night, in the Old Dominion men's basketball opener, he also showed that he can also score. The 6-foot-7 junior from Bryans Road, Maryland poured in a career-high 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to help lead the Monarchs to an 84-65 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore in their opener.
UMES employed an aggressive press and played up-tempo and ODU was content to play fast as well. The Monarchs scored more points than they have in two seasons, dating back to their 86-78 victory over William & Mary in their 2020-21 home opener.
In spite of playing fast, the Monarchs played a good floor game. They had 18 assists and just 10 turnovers and a 40-18 scoring advantage in the paint. They outscored Maryland Eastern Shore, 12-7, on the fast break and outrebounded the smaller Hawks, 44-23.
Coach Jeff Jones said the Monarchs played better in stretches than they did in an exhibition victory over Christopher Newport last week.
"I was pleased," he said. "This was a step forward. We have so far to go. We've just started. But I liked what I saw tonight.
"We were able to get the ball out (on the fast break) and make good passes."
Although ODU won by a comfortable margin, the game was close much of the way. Maryland Eastern Shore stayed within striking distance from long distance, making 10 of 23 three-point shots, and trailed by just seven at halftime.
Long made a three-point shot with 15:37 left in the second half to build the lead to 12, but then the Hawks scored seven points in a row to trim the lead to five, 51-46, on a fast-break layup from Da'Shawn Phillip.
The Monarchs then scored 10 unanswered points, capped by a layup from Chaunce Jenkins, the sophomore transfer from Wichita State, and led by double figures the rest of the way.
Long put a punctuation mark on the victory with a breakaway dunk with 53 seconds left that gave ODU an 82-65 lead. Jones then cleared his bench.
Ben Stanley, the transfer from Xavier who began his career at Hampton, had 20 points and Tyreek Scott-Grayson, the transfer from Northeastern, had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Charles Smith IV did not play in the first half, but came off the bench in the second half and made two three-point shots.
"I didn't intend for Charles not to play in the first half," Jones said. "There wasn't a good opportunity to bring him in.
"But those two shots in the second half were big ones. They came when UMES was trying to make a run at us."
Stanley, who was among the nation's top scorers as a sophomore at Hampton, scored 10 of ODU's first 17 points before UMES made some defensive adjustments designed to shut him down.
"Ben is going to be a go-to guy for us," Jones said. "People are going to try to take him away. The more he can recognize that and find his teammates, the better off we are."
Jones mentioned an oft-used quote about basketball – "It's amazing what can be accomplished when nobody wants the credit" -- in describing his hopes for this team.
"If we got out there and just play together, we've got a chance," he said. "And that's all you can ask for."
Long, who averaged 8.3 points per game last season, said that the task of melding seven newcomers, most from the transfer portal, with the holdovers is a process that is going well.
"I think it's just a matter of time before we all start clicking," he said.
The Monarchs travel to former CAA foe Drexel Friday night at 7 before returning to host Virginia Wesleyan on Monday, Nov. 14, also at 7 p.m.
ODU then heads to the Charleston Classic in Charleston, South Carolina, where the Monarchs take on defending ACC Tournament champion Virginia Tech in the first round on Thursday, November 17, at 2 p.m.
Jones said Drexel will be a good test for the Monarchs.
"We're not favored," Jones said. "And I like that.
"We were picked to finish ninth in the Sun Belt (out of 14 teams) and while we don't dwell on that, we're aware of it.
"I want our guys to play with a chip on their shoulder.
"I'm looking forward to a competitive game. It's really good to be back and playing."
ODU Men's Basketball Team Handles Maryland-Eastern Shore, 84-65, in Home Opener
