Game 1 – Old Dominion (16-9, 8-4 Sun Belt) vs. Georgia Southern (15-6, 7-5 Sun Belt)
Game 2 – Old Dominion (16-9, 8-4 Sun Belt) vs. Georgia State (10-15, 4-8 Sun Belt)
Game Info – Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. EST
Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. EST
Location – 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. – Old Dominion women's basketball begins a four-game homestand this week as the Monarchs host Georgia Southern on Thursday and Georgia State this Saturday at Chartway Arena. Thursday's game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday will start at 2 p.m.
Chip Tarkenton and Kim Aston will call both games on ESPN+. Fans can also hear Matthew Hatfield on the ODU Sports Radio Network. He'll be joined by Charlie Woodson for Thursday's game and Ed Young on Saturday. Live stats will also be available.
Saturday will also mark ODU's Hoops for the Cure game. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free t-shirt and the Monarchs will recognize fans who have been impacted by cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to show their support for the cause.
The Series
ODU defeated both teams when they met earlier this season. On Jan. 12 in Statesboro, Georgia, Jordan McLaughlin scored the go-ahead basket with four seconds left in overtime to lift the Monarchs past the Eagles, 84-82. All five starters for ODU finished in double figures, led by Makayla Dicken's 17-point performance. Kaye Clark netted 14 points with eight rebounds and eight assists, Brianna Jackson contributed 13 points with nine boards, and McLaughlin and Amari Young both had 13 points and eight rebounds each. The game marked the first-ever meeting with the Eagles.
The Monarchs earned a 73-70 win at Georgia State on Jan. 19 to improve to 16-1 in the all-time series. The win marked the 50th for head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones in her time at ODU and was also the ninth straight victory over the Panthers. Down 42-35 at halftime, ODU outscored State 27-17 in the third quarter and used a late 8-0 run in the fourth. Jackson paced the offense with a career-high 18 points, Dickens finished with 14, and Young added 13 points with eight rebounds. Jatyjia Jones shot 4-for-5 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from distance to chip in 11 points.
About ODU
The Monarchs (16-9, 8-4 Sun Belt) pushed their winning streak to three last week with a pair of road victories at Southern Miss and Arkansas State. ODU is now in a five-way tie for second place in the conference standings heading into the final three weeks of the regular season.
Young remains the team leader in both scoring and rebounding with 11.4 points and 7.6 boards per game. Also averaging double figures is Dickens with 10.9 ppg, while Clark (9.2 ppg) and McLaughlin (8.5 ppg) are close behind. Dickens currently ranks second in the league with 140 three-point attempts and is third in both three-point shooting percentage (.357) and three-pointers made (50). McLaughlin and Clark have dished out 85 and 72 assists, respectively. Clark's 66 steals rank 14th in the nation, and her 2.64 steals per game are 28th. Jada Duckett has emerged as the top blocker for ODU with 14, Jackson is second with 11 and Young also owns double-digit blocks with 10.
The team enters the week shooting .393 (611-for-1556) from the field, .285 (133-for-466) from the perimeter, and .624 (275-for-441) at the free-throw line. The Monarchs average 65.2 points while holding opponents to 61.3. ODU leads the lead and ranks 19th in the country in turnovers forced per game (20.76) as well as ranking 28th in turnover margin (4.64).
About Georgia Southern
The Eagles (15-6, 7-5) are also coming off a 2-0 week having beaten Georgia State and James Madison at home. GSU used an early 15-0 run in the second quarter to defeat the Panthers 74-49 on Thursday. Terren Ward then tallied 25 points off the bench to lead the team past James Madison, 72-61 on Saturday.
Ward has been a central figure for the Eagles this season as the leader in both points (18.7 ppg) and rebounds (8.0 rpg). Following her in scoring are Taya Gibson and Le'Andrea Gillis with 9.5-point averages each. Beyond the arc, the GSU has several threats: Ward has knocked down 47 threes, Gillis has made 39 and Andreana Wrister (5.7 ppg) is third with 29. Ja'nya Love-Hill is up to 84 assists this season and owns a 2.40 assist-to-turnover ratio, good for 25th nationally. Ward's 44 steals are a team-best while Eden Johnson (4.9 ppg) has tallied 16 blocks.
As a team, Southern is ranked in the Top 10 in the country in multiple categories. The Eagles are fourth in rebounds per game (46.95), fifth in both free throw attempts per game (23.33) and scoring offense (83.9), and ninth in offensive rebounds per game (16.1). With opponents averaging 70.8 points, the Eagles' +13.1 scoring margin is the best in the Sun Belt. The Eagles are shooting .439 (636-for-1448) from the floor, including .349 (158-for-453) from long range, and .678 (332-for-490) at the line.
About Georgia State
The Panthers (10-15, 4-8) dropped games at Georgia Southern and at Marshall last week. Following the loss in Atlanta, State went to Huntington, West Virginia and led the Herd 39-31 through three quarters. However, the Panthers came up short 50-45 as they were outscored 19-6 over the final 10 minutes. Mikyla Tolivert scored 18 points and Deasia Merrill followed with 16 to lead Georgia State in the loss.
Before making its way to Chartway Arena, Georgia State will play at App State on Thursday. Tolivert (14.6 ppg) and Merrill (13.7 ppg) have been a one-two punch for the Panthers. Four different players have made double-digit threes, led by Nyla Jean (7.5 ppg) and Jenae Dublin (6.2 ppg) with 21 each. On the glass, Merrill is averaging 7.3 rebounds and Zay Dyer is next with 6.0. Mya Byrd (4.9 ppg) and Tolivert have combined for 141 assists, and Tolivert and Jean have combined for 67 steals. Merrill is fifth in the conference in both blocks (27) and blocks per game (1.08).
Georgia State is averaging 62.7 points per contest and has outscored opponents by an average of 1.9 points. The Panthers enter the week shooting .415 (570-for-1372) from the field, .270 (91-for-337) from beyond the arc, and .711 (337-for-474) at the charity stripe.
NET Rankings
Sun Belt Conference in the NCAA NET Rankings – as of Feb. 6
| Troy | 108 |
| James Madison | 111 |
| Old Dominion | 153 |
| Louisiana | 159 |
| Southern Miss. | 171 |
| Texas State | 172 |
| Georgia Southern | 181 |
| Marshall | 188 |
| Coastal Carolina | 216 |
| App State | 232 |
| Georgia State | 233 |
| Arkansas State | 271 |
| ULM | 321 |
| South Alabama | 335 |
Up Next
ODU will have its Senior Day game on Thursday, Feb. 16 as the Monarchs square off with App State. The team then has its final home game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 18 against James Madison.