By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – An Old Dominion men's basketball team that has played with poise and character and overcome so much adversity this season claimed its biggest victory of the season Wednesday night.
The Monarchs erased a seven-point second-half deficit and made clutch free throws in the final minutes to stun Sun Belt Conference leader Southern Miss, 69-64, before a frenetic crowd of 5,428.
With a rebuilt roster that includes nine transfers, Southern Miss rolled into Norfolk with a 24-5 record, victories in 10 of its last 11 games and command of sole control of first place in the Sun Belt Conference.
But on this night, ODU was the better team in Chartway Arena.
ODU has been hammered with injuries and illnesses that has left the Monarchs shorthanded by as many as four players in some games. Yet Wednesday's victory was the eighth win in the last 10 games for ODU (18-11 overall, 10-7 Sun Belt), which was shorthanded once again.
Point guard Imo Essien did not play because of a concussion suffered last week and Chaunce Jenkins, who started at point guard, was playing with a sprained ankle. ODU was also without forward Ben Stanley, lost for the season with a torn ACL last week.
ODU head coach Jeff Jones walked into the post-game interview room with a towel and a red face and acknowledged that he used the towel to wipe away post-game tears. Asked if he was emotional, Jones said, "Yeah, but I've got my emotions under control now."
"I was speechless after the game," added Jones, who is one victory away from his 200th at ODU.
"After the game, I couldn't really find the words. I told our guys I'm wearing the word proud out and I'm trying to find another word and for that. I'm going to have to check my Thesaurus.
"These guys, they're digging down, they're sticking together, they're staying positive, all of it. As a coach this is what you want to see. You want the group to come together and be better than the sum of its parts, and that's exactly what is happening."
ODU concludes the regular season Friday night at home against Marshall, which pulled into a first-place tie with Southern Miss by beating James Madison, 92-83, Wednesday in Harrisonburg. It will be Senior Night for ODU.
ODU had faint hope entering this week of finishing among the top four in the Sun Belt and earning a double bye into next week's Sun Belt Tournament in Pensacola, Florida. However, Louisiana defeated Arkansas State to claim the final of the four double byes.
That means ODU will play in the second round Thursday at the Pensacola Bay Center against an opponent and at a time to be determined. The Monarchs will have to win four games in five days to claim the Sun Belt crown and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Southern Miss applied a ton of pressure to Jenkins as Neftali Alvarez, a muscular transfer from Mercer, played Jenkins physically, often pushing him off balance as he brought the ball up the court.
Jenkins did not flinch. He scored 16 points, with six rebounds, five assists and just two turnovers in nearly 36 minutes.
Mekhi Long, who played with a gimpy knee, led the Monarchs with 20 points and 11 rebounds. It was his seventh double double in the last eight games he has played.
Dericko Williams, the 6-7 Kinston, North Carolina native, played one of his best games of the season, scoring nine points and pulling down 11 rebounds despite being in foul trouble much of the second half.
Although the Golden Eagles were taller and more physical than the Monarchs, ODU outrebounded Southern Miss, 42-36 and had a 24-18 scoring edge in the paint.
The game was a back-and-forth affair much of the way, although Southern Miss briefly appeared on the brink of taking a big lead with seven minutes left.
Felipe Haase, a 6-foot-9 native of Chile who transferred from Mercer, made a three-pointer to give the Golden Eagles a seven-point lead, 56-49. The Golden Eagles still led by seven, 59-52, a minute later when ODU mounted a rally.
Jenkins made two free throws and Long a three-pointer that trimmed the deficit to 59-57 with 5:13 left and then Tyreek Scott-Grayson made a jump shot with 3:51 left that knotted the score at 59-59.
With both teams in the bonus, the game came down to foul shots, and the Monarchs made 9 of 11 in the final 1:23. 
Williams made two to break the final tie of the game and give ODU a 65-63 lead with 42 seconds left. Alvarez then attempted to make a driving layup, which was blocked by Long.
Scott-Grayson then made 1 of 2 free throws with 24 seconds left, and after the Golden Eagles missed another shot, Jenkins made two more to make it 68-63 with 14 seconds left.
Long, who played almost 39 minutes, agreed that the game had the feel of a postseason contest.
"It felt like a tournament game," he said. "They were the No. 1 team in the conference, so it was a big win. We've been saying that when teams come into our home, nobody comes to ODU and just walks out with a win."
Jenkins agreed it was the biggest victory of the season, but said all that matters now is beating Marshall, and then winning four games in Pensacola.
"This is going to give us a lot of momentum going into our final game and into the conference tournament," he said.
ODU led by 11 in the first half before trailing by seven in the second, an 18-point swing. But Long said he and his teammates never had any doubts that they would rally.
"We never get down," he said. "We've been down before in late moments, in big moments. So the message is just keeping playing, have your brother's back and whatever happens happens.
"And what happened tonight is that we got a big W."
ODU Men's Basketball Team Rallies to Stun Sun Belt Leader Southern Miss, 69-64
