Game 1 – Old Dominion (12-7, 4-2 Sun Belt) at Louisiana (9-9, 3-3 Sun Belt)
Game 2 – Old Dominion (12-7, 4-2 Sun Belt) at Georgia State (8-11, 2-4 Sun Belt)
Game Info – Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. EST
Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. EST
Location – Cajundome (Lafayette, La.)
GSU Convocation Center (Atlanta, Ga.)
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
LAFAYETTE, La. – Old Dominion women's basketball continues conference play with a couple of road tests this week. The Monarchs are in Lafayette, Louisiana to play a 7 p.m. EST game versus Louisiana on Thursday. ODU will then be in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday for a 2 p.m. meeting with Georgia State.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and fans can also tune into the ODU Sports Radio Network to hear Matthew Hatfield call the action. Live stats will also be available.
The Series
ODU and Louisiana are meeting for the first time on Thursday. Saturday's game will mark the 17th meeting with Georgia State, a series that the Monarchs lead, 15-1. ODU has also won eight in a row against the Panthers. The two programs last saw each other for a pair of games during the 2012-13 season when they were members of the CAA.
ODU opened conference play that season with a 72-66 victory in Atlanta on Jan. 6, 2013. Galaisha Goodhope shot 6-for-11 from the floor and converted 9-of-10 shots at the line to pace the Monarchs with 21 points. Ashley Betz-White followed with 14 points and Tiffany Minor added 10 points. ODU then hosted the Panthers a few weeks later on Jan. 24, with the Monarchs taking that meeting 68-45. Jackie Cook was the leading scorer for ODU with 15 points, Shae Kelley turned in a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double, and Minor contributed a 10-point effort.
About ODU
The Monarchs (12-7, 4-2 SBC) made it four wins in a row last week as ODU earned an 84-82 overtime victory at Georgia Southern on Thursday, then defeated Marshall 63-56 back at Chartway Arena on Saturday. That stretch has helped the team finds its way back onto CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 poll this week, with the Monarchs receiving 96 points to rank 22nd. It marks the fourth time this season that ODU has been ranked in the poll.
Amari Young and Makayla Dickens continue to lead the team in scoring with 11.0 and 10.9 points per game, respectively. Right behind them and just shy of averaging double figures are Kaye Clark (9.8 ppg) and Jordan McLaughlin (9.4 ppg). Dickens is the best three-point shooter for the Monarchs with 39 makes from beyond the arc. Young leads the team on the glass with 137 total rebounds (8.1 rpg). McLaughlin and Clark have combined for 117 assists while Young and Brianna Jackson have tallied 19 blocks between the two of them. Clark currently ranks 10th in the nation in steals (55) and 19th in steals per game (2.89).
ODU is averaging 64.7 points per outing and owns a +3.9 scoring margin. The Monarchs come into this week's games shooting .381 (457-for-1200) from the field, .277 (99-for-357) from long range, and .636 (217-for-341) at the free-throw line. Through games played on Jan. 17, the team ranks 21st in the country in turnovers forced per game (20.89), 35th in turnover margin (4.58) and 37th in steals per game (10.3).
About Louisiana
The Ragin' Cajuns (9-9, 3-3) split their conference games last week. After picking up a 66-49 home win over South Alabama, Louisiana was on the wrong end of an 85-78 overtime game at Troy on Saturday. That matchup featured nine ties and eight lead changes in regulation, but Troy made a couple of early threes in overtime to create enough separation.
Tamera Johnson and Lanay Wheaton are both scoring 10.8 points per game to lead the offense. Wheaton has knocked down the most three-pointers with 16, but Sherry Porter (6.7 ppg) is right behind her with 15 makes and Nubia Benedith (6.6 ppg) has hit 14 shots from distance. On the glass, Johnson is pulling down 6.6 boards per outing and Wheaton is next with an even 4.0. Destiny Rice (6.7 ppg) owns the team high in assists with 34, Wheaton owns a team-best 34 steals, and Mariah Stewart (3.2 ppg) and Johnson have combined for 15 blocks.
The Ragin' Cajuns are netting 56.7 points per game and have been outscored by an average of 1.1 points. Collectively, Louisiana is shooting .367 (363-for-988) from the floor, including .275 (75-for-273) from long range, and .604 (220-for-364) at the charity stripe. Louisiana is also ranked 22nd nationally in turnovers forced per game (20.89) and 31st in turnover margin (4.72).
With 161 total points, Louisiana was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches' Poll. Brandi Williams was named to the Preseason Second Team and Wheaton earned Third Team honors.
About Georgia State
The Panthers (8-11, 2-4) are on a three-game skid after falling 81-58 to Troy at home before losing 64-48 at Texas State and 62-57 at James Madison. Last Saturday against the Dukes, Mikyla Tolivert led the team with 17 points, Deasia Merrill scored 15 points with six rebounds, and Mya Byrd tallied 11 points with five boards and four assists.
GSU has two players scoring in double digits: Merrill leads the way with 13.6 points and Tolivert is second with 12.3 points. On the perimeter, Jenae Dublin (7.6 ppg) has made 17 threes, Tolivert has knocked down 13, and Mya Byrd (5.2 ppg) is right behind Tolivert with 12. Merrill is the top rebounder with 7.6 rebounds per game and Zay Dyer (8.2 ppg) is averaging 6.7 boards. Byrd is first in assists with 55, Tolivert and Nyla Jean (7.2 ppg) have combined for 58 steals, and Merrill owns a team-high 23 blocks.
The Panthers have outscored their opponents by an average of 3.9 points and are scoring 63.7 points per game. GSU is shooting .420 (443-for-1054) from the field, .269 (68-for-253) from three-point range, and .695 (257-for-370) at the line. GSU is 34th in the country in field goal percentage defense (.360) and commits the fewest number of fouls per game (15.5) in the Sun Belt.
GSU was picked to finish 11th with 50 points in the Preseason Poll.
NET Rankings
Sun Belt Conference in the NCAA NET Rankings – as of Jan. 16
| James Madison | 81 |
| Troy | 118 |
| Old Dominion | 153 |
| Southern Miss. | 160 |
| Louisiana | 183 |
| Marshall | 187 |
| Texas State | 190 |
| App State | 208 |
| Georgia Southern | 213 |
| Georgia State | 233 |
| Coastal Carolina | 235 |
| Arkansas State | 286 |
| ULM | 332 |
| South Alabama | 339 |
Up Next
ODU will be back in Norfolk next week as the Monarchs host Texas State for a 6:30 p.m. game on Thursday, Jan. 26. The team then welcomes Coastal Carolina to Chartway Arena for a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday, Jan. 28.