Game 1 – Old Dominion (8-3) vs. Mississippi State (9-2)
Game 2 – Old Dominion (8-3) vs. New Mexico (6-4)
Game Info – Monday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. EST
Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. EST
Location – Pasco-Hernando State College Gymnasium (New Port Richey, Fla.)
Watch – Baller TV (Game 1 | Game 2)
Listen – ODU Sports Radio Network
Live Stats – Game 1 | Game 2
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Game Notes – ODU
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – Old Dominion women's basketball is in New Port Richey, Florida for the inaugural Sun Coast Challenge tournament, hosted at Pasco-Hernando State College's West Campus on Dec. 19-21. The Monarchs open the tournament with a 1 p.m. game against Mississippi State on Monday, then play again Tuesday in a 1 p.m. game versus New Mexico.
Admission to the Sun Coast Challenge is free, with donations at the door to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. Each game will be streamed on BallerTV and fans can purchase an event pass for $9.99. Fans can also hear Matthew Hatfield on the ODU Sports Radio Network.
The Series
Monday and Tuesday mark the first-ever meetings with Mississippi State and New Mexico.
About ODU
The Monarchs (8-3) landed at the No. 19 spot in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll following a 3-0 week that saw ODU defeat Lincoln (Pa.), VCU and Norfolk State at Chartway Arena. Senior forward Amari Young also earned Sun Belt Player of the Week honors after leading the Monarchs with 40 points (13.3 ppg), 25 rebounds (8.3 rpg) and eight steals.
Jordan McLaughlin (11.2 ppg) and Young (10.9 ppg) are the top two scorers for ODU. Mikayla Dickens and Kaye Clark are the top perimeter shooters with 17 and 12 made three-pointers, respectively. Young is averaging 7.8 rebounds to lead the Monarchs on the glass, McLaughlin owns the team high in assists with 42, and Young has recorded a team-best nine blocks. Through games played on Dec. 17, Clark ranks ninth nationally with 34 steals and 18th in steals per game at 3.09.
ODU is averaging 65.8 points per contest and has a +9.4 scoring margin. As a team, the Monarchs are shooting .395 (269-for-681) from the floor, .286 (54-for-189) from beyond the arc, and .623 (132-for-212) at the free-throw line. For NCAA Division I teams, ODU ranks 23rd in turnovers forced per game (21.91), 27th in turnover margin (5.91) and 31st in steals per game (11.2).
About Mississippi State
The Bulldogs (9-2) have won four in a row and are coming off a 72-47 win over Florida A&M this past Thursday. State had three players score in double figures: JerKaila Jordan led the way with 12 points, Asianae Johnson followed with 11 points and Jessika Carter finished with 10 points. Debreasha Powe pulled down a team-high seven rebounds with eight points and Anastasia Hayes also contributed eight points. With the win, the Bulldogs posted a perfect 8-0 non-conference home record.
Carter is the team's top scorer with 13.4 points per outing. Jordan is next with a 12.0 scoring average, and Powe is third at 11.4 points per game. Powe and Jordan are the deep threats with a combined 30 made threes and Carter is the top rebounder with 8.5 boards a game. Hayes enters this week's tournament with 56 helpers and Jordan has 29 steals. Carter ranks third in the country with 30 blocks, ninth with 2.73 blocks per game, and 16th with five double-doubles.
State is shooting a combined .448 (320-for-714) from the field, .305 (60-for-197) from long range, and .650 (154-for-237) at the charity stripe. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by an average of 27.3 points and combine for 77.6 points per game. The team is third in the country in blocks per game (6.5), fourth in field goal percentage defense (31.7), sixth in scoring defense (50.3), eighth in scoring margin, and 10th in steals per game (13.2).
State was picked to finish eighth in the SEC's Preseason Poll as Carter and Hayes were both named to the preseason All-SEC Second Team. This year's squad features eight returners, to include three starters, and seven newcomers. Head coach Sam Purcell is in his first season with the program.
About New Mexico
After a 71- 61 win over Abilene Christian on Dec. 7, the Lobos (6-4) took a close game against New Mexico State 65-64 last Sunday. Shaiquel McGruder made the go-ahead free throw with 14 seconds left and led New Mexico with 16 points. Viané Cumber chipped in 15 points, Paula Reus recorded an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, and LaTascya Duff finished with 12 points.
The Lobos have three players averaging double figures: McGruder nets 14.3 points per game, Duff owns a 13.2 scoring average, and twin sister LaTora Duff is third at 10.0 points. LaTascya Duff has knocked down 27 shots from distance, McGruder is first on the team with 84 rebounds (8.4 rpg), and LaTora Duff leads the team with 43 assists. On defense, LaTascya Duff and McGruder have combined for 47 steals and McGruder is up to 29 blocks this season.
New Mexico has scored 71.6 points per game with a +3.8 scoring margin. The team is shooting .419 (261-for-623) from the field, .304 (77-for-253) from deep, and .750 (117-for-156) at the line. The Lobos are currently ranked ninth in the country in blocks per game (5.9) and 18th in steals per game (12.0).
McGruder was named to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team while Amaya Brown was named the league's Preseason Newcomer of the Year and Hannah Robbins the Preseason Freshman of the Year. The Lobos were picked to finish second in the Mountain West with two first-place votes and 264 total points. New Mexico's team features eight returners, to include three starters, and six newcomers.
Up Next
ODU is on the road to start conference play as the Monarchs travel to Boone, North Carolina for a 6:30 p.m. game at App State on Dec. 29. ODU then plays again two days later with a 2 p.m. conference game at James Madison on Dec. 31.
Monarchs to Play Mississippi State, New Mexico at Sun Coast Challenge
