BOONE, N.C. – Makayla Dickens scored a season-high 25 points, but it wasn't enough as Old Dominion women's basketball lost its first Sun Belt conference game of the season 81-55 on Thursday night at Appalachian State.
"We did not shoot the ball well," head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones said after the game. "I think we settled too many times and then we also broke down defensively a lot. Too many straight line drives right down the heart of our defense. They checked our lateral quickness, and our heart compass was not there the way that it should be tonight."
Dickens went 9-for-20 from the field, including 4-for-9 from beyond the arc, and made 3-of-5 free throws. The grad transfer from Boston College also grabbed three rebounds and added three assists and one steal to her totals. Kaye Clark scored 10 points and flirted with a double-double as she led the Monarchs (8-6, 0-1 Sun Belt) on the glass with eight boards. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native finished the night with one assist, one block and a pair of steals. Brenda Fontana contributed a season-high eight points with six rebounds, and Jordan McLaughlin chipped in seven points.
"What we got from Makayla Dickens tonight is what we expect from her all the time," continued Milton-Jones. "She is just that much of an offensive firepower. Brenda Fontana came in and played great minutes in absence of Amari Young and I hope that this is something that she can build off of. She got a lot of courage going into our next game, and now her confidence will be at an all-time high."
As a team, ODU shot 21-for-62 (.339) from the field, 5-for-22 (.227) from long range, and 8-for-12 (.667) at the charity stripe. The Monarchs scored more second-chance points (16-8), but the Mountaineers (5-7, 1-0 SBC) led every other category.
ODU was playing without its top scorer and rebounder in Young, who did not make the trip due to personal reasons.
"Her absence is huge for us," added Milton-Jones. "She allows us to do different things defensively, she rebounds the ball well for us and we go to her offensively. So when you're missing a player like that, that is a huge hole to fill in a short period of time."
In the first quarter, a jumper from McLaughlin and a 1-for-2 effort at the line by Dickens gave ODU its first lead at 3-2. The hosts responded with back-to-back scores to wrestle back control at 6-3. The Monarchs kept it close as Jatyjia Jones and Clark both turned in 2-for-2 efforts at the line to make it a one-point game at 8-7 and again at 10-9. After App State pushed its lead to 15-9, Dickens knocked down a three-pointer before following up with a jumper with 39 seconds to go in the opening stanza. App State's Taylor Lewis then earned a trip to the line with five seconds on the clock. She made both of her attempts, and the home team led 17-14 after the first 10 minutes of play.
The Mountaineers opened the second quarter with six unanswered points. McLaughlin and Fontana halted that run with a pair of layups that cut the deficit to 23-18. ODU then used an 8-0 run, highlighted by six points from Fontana, to retake the lead at 26-25. Unfortunately, the Mountaineers came up with a 9-0 response to pull ahead 34-26. McLaughlin hit a three-ball in front of the App State bench and Dickens made a layup to get ODU back within three points, but an old-fashioned three-point play by App State's Faith Alston allowed the Mountaineers to take a 37-31 advantage at the break.
ODU couldn't put together any significant runs in the third quarter, and App State used a 13-0 run over final two minutes and 44 seconds to build a 61-40 lead. Dickens and Clark put together a 7-0 push early in the fourth quarter, but by then then game was too far out of reach.
ODU has a tough challenge this Saturday in Harrisonburg, Virginia as James Madison hosts the Monarchs for a 2 p.m. tipoff at the Atlantic Bank Union Center. The Dukes (11-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) earned a 77-56 conference win over Coastal Carolina earlier Thursday and are the only other Sun Belt team ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, coming in at the No. 12 spot. Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and fans can also hear Matthew Hatfield call the game on the ODU Sports Radio Network.
Game Notes
- This was the third meeting between the two programs. ODU's lead in the all-time series now stands at 2-1.
- The teams will play again in Norfolk later this season when the Monarchs host the Mountaineers for a 6:30 p.m. rematch on Feb. 16.
- App State made 15-of-17 (.882) shots at the free-throw line and shot 7-for-12 (.583) from distance in the second half.
- The Mountaineers turned 23 ODU turnovers into 27 points.
- It was the third game in a row ODU has committed 20+ turnovers.
- Dickens' previous season high was 18 points, which she'd reached in the season opener at Florida Gulf Coast before matching the effort with 18 points against Temple. She was one point shy of tying her career best of 26 points, set on Jan. 5, 2020 at Pitt when she played for Boston College.
- This was the seventh double-digit outing of the season for Dickens. The Virginia Beach, Virginia native has now scored in double figures in three straight games and five of the last six games.
- It was the sixth double-digit performance for Clark as well as her second in a row. She was coming off a career-best 19 points in the Dec. 20 loss to New Mexico.
Women’s Basketball Drops Conference Opener at App State
