NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – Old Dominion women's basketball could not extend its win streak as the Monarchs fell 83-47 to Mississippi State on Monday afternoon at the Sun Coast Challenge, hosted by Pasco-Hernando State College.
"We didn't follow the game plan," said head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones. "We started doing things that were uncharacteristic of what we've built defensively. And then also their length and athleticism had us on our heels. Opportunities that looked open, when we went to attack them, suddenly weren't open any more. They have a lot of speed and quickness and length on the floor that really deterred us from getting into our own individual games."
Makayla Dickens made 3-of-10 shots from distance and led ODU with 14 points and five assists. Amari Young also scored double figures with 10 points and six rebounds. Kaye Clark, Jada Duckett and Mikayla Brown all finished with four points and Clark collected six steals to lead both teams.
The Monarchs (8-4) went 18-for-62 (.290) from the field, including 4-for-23 (.174) from beyond the arc, and shot 7-for-10 (.700) at the charity stripe. The Bulldogs (10-2) knocked down 11-of-16 (.688) shots from the perimeter, were 35-for-61 (.574) from the floor, and 2-for-3 (.667) at the free-throw line. Mississippi State held the advantage in points off turnovers (22-14), points in the paint (44-20), fast-break points (18-7) and points off the bench (28-13), while ODU netted more second-chance points (15-6).
"We knew that with a dribble drive offense, what they're looking for is threes and layups, and when you look at their scoring, the bulk of it came from in the paint and beyond the three-point line," continued Milton-Jones. "It was so unprecedented for us to be 4-for-23 from the three-point line. It just tells the story that we haven't had a concentrated effort of getting the ball inside like we normally do. So we took shots under duress and shots that were uncomfortable. I have to make sure that we remain confident and stay true to who we are."
After MSU opened the scoring at the 9:14 mark in the first quarter, neither side scored again until a layup from Young with 6:43 on the clock knotted the game at 2-2. The Bulldogs pushed their lead to 10-4 before a steal by Clark led to a fast-break bucket by Dickens. The Virginia Beach native then made it a one-point game as she made a three-pointer from the left wing, but State responded in kind to take a 13-9 lead at the end of the opening stanza.
MSU scored another eight unanswered to start the second quarter, pushing its lead to 12 points at 21-9. Young then converted a pair of free-throw attempts and Brianna Jackson added a layup to cut the deficit to single digits at 21-13, but the Bulldogs took off again with a 9-0 run. ODU couldn't come up with a significant response and the Monarchs trailed 36-18 at the break.
ODU had its most productive quarter with 20 points in the third, but State bettered that effort with 28 points. The Monarchs were unable to defend the long ball in that quarter as the Bulldogs converted 6-of-7 shots from three-point range. That effectively put the game out of reach as ODU went into the final 10 minutes of play down 64-38. State outscored ODU 19-9 in the final quarter as the Monarchs' win streak was snapped at six games.
The Monarchs continue the Sun Coast Challenge tomorrow with a 1 p.m. game versus New Mexico. Tuesday's game will be streamed on BallerTV and fans can also hear Matthew Hatfield on the ODU Sports Radio Network.
Game Notes
- Monday's game was the first meeting between ODU and Mississippi State.
- State led by as many as 38 points (2:16 to play in the fourth quarter).
- ODU was held to single digits in the first, second and fourth quarters.
- Clark's six steals are the most since she also tallied six in ODU's win at USC Upstate on Dec. 3. The senior now has 40 on the season.
- This was the fifth time Dickens has scored in double figures this season and her third double-digit outing in the past four games.
- Young has now scored double figures in eight straight games.
Women’s Basketball Drops Sun Coast Challenge Game to Mississippi State
