NORFOLK, Va. – Amari Young recorded a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double and Makayla Dickens added 13 points as Old Dominion women's basketball secured a 40-point win over South Alabama, 83-43 on Saturday afternoon at Chartway Arena.
"I'm very pleased, we needed a statement win like this. We built off of the momentum from the last game we had against ULM and I'm pleased that everyone got in the game. I'm pleased that everyone got production on both ends of the floor and it was solid," said head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones.
A season high in scoring for the Monarchs (10-7, 2-2 Sun Belt), the team saw 12 different players end up in the score column. Young shot 8-for-14 from the field, went 1-for-2 at the line and added one assist to her totals. Dickens finished 5-for-9 from the floor, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, and ended up with three rebounds and two steals. Althea Kara Angeles turned in a nine-point effort while Jordan McLaughlin, Kaye Clark and Mikayla Brown contributed eight points each.
"Our coaches prepared us very well, so it was easy for me to get out there and do what I'm supposed to," Brown added after the win. "Working with Amari, Bri and Jada Duckett has definitely changed my game because they work hard in practice. It's made me step up to the plate and take the challenge head on."
The Jaguars (4-11, 0-4) went up 3-2 early, but that would be their last lead of the game. An old-fashioned three-point play by Brianna Jackson put the Monarchs ahead 5-3 and they never looked back from there. A pair of free throws from McLaughlin, a jumper by Clark and another from Dickens pushed the advantage to 11-3. ODU went on to score 10 unanswered as the Monarchs led 26-9 after the first 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, neither side was able to score until a pair of Jaguar free throws at the 7:46 mark. Young then knocked down back-to-back jumpers to open an 8-0 response that put the Monarchs up 34-11. The sides traded baskets the rest of the half, and ODU went into the lock room up 40-18.
Another long ball by Dickens started an 11-0 push in the third that grew the ODU lead to 55-23. South Alabama couldn't come up with any answers and the Monarchs continued to inch away in the fourth. A Jatyjia Jones bucket and a pair of scores by Brown made it a 42-point difference with 44 seconds remaining. After a layup by South Alabama's Nadia Howard with 31 seconds to go, ODU dribbled out the rest of the clock.
ODU combined to shoot 34-for-72 (.472) from the field, 5-for-20 (.250) from distance, and 10-for-16 (.625) at the free-throw line. The Monarchs scored more points off turnovers (21-8), points in the paint (36-24), second-chance points (18-10), fast-break points (15-4) and had more bench production (34-19). ODU also beat the Jags on the glass with 47 rebounds to South Alabama's 33.
"I feel like this win just builds our confidence, and when we get on the road, we just need to bring what we brought today" continued Brown. "It really just starts in practice. We've just got to stay focused and not worry about how tired we get."
Up next for ODU is a trip to Statesboro, Georgia for a 6 p.m. game at Georgia Southern next Thursday. The Monarchs will then return home to host Marshall next Saturday at 4 p.m. The Eagles played at Marshall today and withstood a 22-0 fourth quarter run by the Thundering Herd to come out with an 83-80 victory.
Game Notes
- ODU now leads the all-time series, 11-3.
- Today's game was the first meeting between the two programs since they saw each other in the 1991 Sun Belt Conference tournament.
- Young's double-double marked the 22nd of her career and fourth of the season.
- Young and Dickens have reached double-digit scoring 10 times each this season. It was also the sixth straight game in double figures for Dickens.
- With 1,012 career rebounds, Young is now seventh on the program's all-time rebounders list.
- Brown's eight points mark a new season high.
- ODU's previous season high in scoring was 81 points in the win over Lincoln (Pa.) on Dec. 6.
- The Monarchs are now 8-0 at home and are the only Sun Belt team still unbeaten on their home court.
Monarchs Power Past South Alabama, 83-43
