NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – Kaye Clark set a new career high with 19 points while Makayla Dickens and Althea Kara Angeles added 11 points each, but Old Dominion women's basketball dropped its neutral-site game to New Mexico, 74-57 Tuesday at the Sun Coast Challenge.
"Once again, the same bug that bit us yesterday bit us today," said head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones. "We're not following the defensive plan. When we get tired, fatigue can't come in and affect us mentally. We have to be disciplined throughout the duration of the game."
Clark shot 8-for-17 from the field, including 3-for-9 from the beyond the arc, and added five rebounds and three assists to her totals. Amari Young followed Dickens and Angeles in scoring with six points and led the Monarchs (8-5) with 10 boards and three steals. ODU shot a combined 20-for-60 (.333) from the floor, 7-for-26 (.269) from long range, and 10-for-13 (.769) at the free-throw line.
New Mexico's Amaya Brown opened the scoring with a made jumper at the 8:32 mark before Dickens responded in kind 16 seconds later. The Lobos (7-4) scored on their next possession, but a strip by Young led to a fast-break opportunity for Clark and the Milwaukee, Wisconsin native scored the equalizer. She was fouled on the play and couldn't convert her free-throw attempt, but Jada Duckett collected the miss and made the putback layup to give ODU the lead at 6-4. UNM then used a 7-0 run to take back control. Young got a layup to fall and Jordan McLaughlin had a 2-for-2 effort at the line to cut the deficit to 13-10. A pair of UNM long balls gave the Lobos a 19-12 advantage, but two late jumpers from Angeles and Jatyjia Jones got ODU back to within 19-15 at the end of the opening quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Angeles and Clark made a pair of three-pointers before Clark got her layup to fall with 5:12 to go in the first half. That 8-0 push made it a one-point game as the Monarchs trailed 24-23. However, the Lobos responded with an 8-0 run of their own. Kaylen Nelson hit a late jumper, but ODU went into the locker room down 32-25.
Dickens scored the first seven points for ODU in the third quarter, her three-pointer at the 7:38 mark getting the Monarchs to within five at 37-32. Both sides traded points the rest of the quarter, and UNM's Latascya Duff three-point field goal pushed the Lobos' lead to 51-43 heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
ODU couldn't get its shots to fall for most of the fourth quarter, and New Mexico took advantage with a 15-2 run to pull away, 73-49. A three ball from Clark with 2:57 left snapped a scoreless drought of nearly five minutes for the Monarchs. Young then made a pair of free-throws before another Clark three-pointer brought the score to 73-57 in favor of UNM. A late free throw for the Lobos then rounded out the scoring.
The Monarchs begin conference play later this month with road games at Sun Belt foes App State on Dec. 29 and James Madison on Dec. 31.
"The message to our group is that we're coming back from Christmas break and we're hitting the ground running," Milton-Jones added when asked about the start of conference play. "App State, JMU…all of these teams are going to be biting at the bit to open this '23 season and see who's going to be the new champion of the new Sun Belt. I'm hoping that we can come in and do our part."
Game Notes
- Tuesday's game marked the first meeting between ODU and New Mexico.
- ODU committed 27 turnovers, its most in a game this season.
- Clark's previous career best was 18 points at Texas Southern back on Nov. 10.
- Angeles' 11 points are a new season high.
- Young is now two rebounds shy of reaching 1,000 for her career.
Monarchs Conclude Non-Conference Play With 74-57 Loss to New Mexico
