Game 1 – Old Dominion (10-7, 2-2 Sun Belt) at Georgia Southern (11-2, 3-1 Sun Belt)
Game 2 – Old Dominion (10-7, 2-2 Sun Belt) vs. Marshall (9-6, 2-2 Sun Belt)
Game Info – Thursday, Jan. 12 at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4 p.m.
Location – Hanner Fieldhouse (Statesboro, Ga.)
Chartway Arena (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2)
Listen – ODU Sports Radio Network
Live Stats – Game 1 | Game 2
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Game Notes – ODU
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion women's basketball team is headed to Statesboro, Georgia this Thursday as the Monarchs are scheduled for a 6 p.m. meeting with Georgia Southern at Hanner Fieldhouse. ODU then returns to Norfolk to host Marshall on Saturday, with that game slated for a 4 p.m. tipoff.
Fans can watch both contests on ESPN+ and can hear Matthew Hatfield on the ODU Sports Radio Network for Thursday's contest. Saturday will feature Chip Tarkenton and Kim Aston calling the action on the broadcast while Susan Montgomery will join Hatfield on radio. Live stats for both games will also be available.
The Series
Thursday's game marks the first-ever meeting with Georgia Southern. ODU and Marshall are meeting for the 18th time on Saturday, and the Monarchs currently lead the series, 11-6. The two teams met twice last season when both programs were members of Conference USA, and both sides earned wins on the road. On Feb. 3 in Huntington, West Virginia, Brianna Jackson paced ODU with 15 points, Aziah Hudson followed with 12 points and Amari Young contributed 10 points as the Monarchs took a 62-47 final. The Thundering Herd then grabbed the Feb. 17 meeting 64-48 at Chartway Arena. Ajah Wayne scored a team-high 23 points in the loss and Jackson finished with 10 points.
About ODU
The Monarchs (10-7, 2-2 SBC) secured their first two Sun Belt victories of the season last week with wins over ULM and South Alabama. On Thursday against the Warhawks, ODU claimed a 63-49 final as Makayla Dickens paced the offense with 14 points and Kaye Clark added 11 points. Amari Young also reached a career milestone as she eclipsed 1,000 rebounds. The team then had its highest offensive output of the season with a 40-point 83-43 win over the Jaguars. Young turned in a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double while Dickens was also in double figures with 13 points. The Monarchs are the only Sun Belt team still perfect at home as ODU improved to 8-0 when playing at Chartway Arena.
Dickens (11.1 ppg) and Young (10.5 ppg) are ODU's top two scorers, though Jordan McLaughlin (9.3 ppg) and Clark (9.2 ppg) aren't far behind them. Dickens has knocked down a team-high 35 three-pointers and Young leads the team on the glass with 7.7 rebounds per outing. McLaughlin has dished out 59 assists, and Clark is ranked 12th nationally in steals (48) and 22nd in steals per game (2.82).
ODU enters this week with a +3.8 scoring margin and is averaging 63.7 points per game. As a team, the Monarchs are shooting .382 (404-for-1057) from the field, .276 (88-for-319) from long range, and .636 (187-for-294) at the free-throw line. Through games played on Jan. 10, ODU is ranked 22nd in the country with 21.12 turnovers forced per game.
About Georgia Southern
After opening conference play with an 82-70 loss to Texas State, the Eagles (11-2, 3-1 SBC) have won three in a row, defeating Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina and Marshall. In its most recent outing in Huntington, Georgia Southern survived a 22-0 fourth-quarter run by Marshall to hold on 83-80. The Eagles had three players in double figures as Terren Ward netted 20 points, Andreana Wrister tallied 13 points and Le'Andrea Gillis chipped in 11 points.
Ward is the top scorer with an 18.4 average, Gillis follows her with 10.2 points per game, and Taya Gibson is third with 9.2 points per game. The Eagles have three threats from the beyond the arc as Ward and Wrister have made 25 threes each and Gillis own 24 makes from distance. Ward is also the top rebounder at 8.2 boards per outing. Constance Thomas (4.5 ppg) and Ja'nya Love-Hill (7.4 ppg) have combined for 97 assists, Ward owns a team-high 31 steals, and Diamond Stokes has recorded eight blocks. Love-Hill ranks third in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.13) and Gillis is 18th nationally in three-point percentage (.462).
Georgia Southern is averaging 88.9 points as a team and has outscored opponents by an average of 20.3 points. The Eagles come into Thursday's matchup shooting .457 (422-for-924) from the floor, including .359 (98-for-273) from three-point range, and .684 (214-for-313) at the charity stripe. The Eagles are ranked second nationally in scoring offense (88.9), fourth in rebounds per game (48.38), and sixth in both free throw attempts per game (24.08) and steals per game (12.8).
The Eagles were picked to finish seventh with one first-place vote and 108 points in the league's Preseason Coaches' Poll. Ward represented the team on the Preseason First Team.
About Marshall
The Thundering Herd (9-6, 2-2 SBC) earned a 63-61 overtime win versus South Alabama and followed with a 59-52 victory at App State, but has since dropped its past two games to James Madison, 74-67 and Marshall, 83-80.
Marshall has three players averaging double digits: Roshala Scott (18.2 ppg), Abby Beeman (13.2 ppg), and Mahogany Matthews (10.1 ppg). Scott and Beeman are threats on the perimeter with 28 and 23 made three-pointers, respectively. Beeman also owns the team highs in rebounds per game (6.7), assists (75), and steals (29) while Matthews have tallied 23 blocks.
The Herd enters the week averaging 66.5 points per game with a +7.9 scoring margin. Marshall has combined to shoot .424 (377-for-890) from the field, .309 (112-for-362) from distance, and .630 (131-for-208) at the line.
Marshall received 91 points and was picked to finish 10th in the Preseason Poll.
NET Rankings
Sun Belt Conference in the NCAA NET Rankings – as of Jan. 9
| James Madison | 81 |
| Troy | 113 |
| Old Dominion | 158 |
| Marshall | 170 |
| Southern Miss. | 182 |
| Georgia Southern | 197 |
| Louisiana | 202 |
| Texas State | 225 |
| Georgia State | 232 |
| App State | 234 |
| Coastal Carolina | 251 |
| Arkansas State | 274 |
| South Alabama | 335 |
| ULM | 338 |
Up Next
The Monarchs continue conference play with a pair of road games at Louisiana and Georgia State next week. ODU will be in Lafayette, Louisiana for a 7 p.m. tip versus the Ragin' Cajuns on Jan. 19 before heading to Atlanta, Georgia for a 2 p.m. meeting with the Panthers on Jan. 21.
Season Tickets Available Now
Men's and women's basketball season tickets for the 2022-23 season are available now at ynottix.com.
Men's basketball season tickets cost $215 and include tickets for the Monarchs' exhibition on Nov. 2 and all 16 of ODU's regular season home games. Women's basketball season tickets cost $115 for adults and $250 for courtside seating and include tickets to all 15 of the Monarchs' home games. Special pricing is available for senior citizens, ODU faculty and staff, and members of the military. Call the ODU Ticket Office at 757-683-4444 to receive special pricing.
Season tickets represent a savings of more than $50 for men's games and $45 for women's games over single-game tickets. Single-game ticket prices start at $18 for men's games and $11 for women's games, with special pricing for senior citizens, ODU faculty and staff, youth (12 and younger) and members of the military. ODU students can register for student tickets for free to any ODU men's and women's home game.