Matchup – No. 5 Old Dominion (21-11, 12-6 Sun Belt) vs. No. 4 Troy (17-12, 12-6 Sun Belt)
Game Info – Friday, March 3 at 3 p.m. EST
Location – Pensacola Bay Center (Pensacola, Fla.)
Watch – ESPN+
Listen – ODU Sports Radio Network
Live Stats – Click Here
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Game Notes – ODU
Championship Central – Click Here
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Old Dominion women's basketball continues its run in the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Friday when the Monarchs play No. 4 seed Troy in a 3 p.m. EST Quarterfinal game at Pensacola Bay Center.
Fans can watch the game on ESPN+ or tune into the ODU Sports Radio Network to hear Matthew Hatfield and Charlie Woodson. Live stats will also be available.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Sun Belt's Championship Central page here.
The Series
Friday marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
About ODU
The Monarchs (21-11, 12-6 Sun Belt) started off the tournament with a second-round victory over 12th-seeded Georgia State on Wednesday afternoon. Jatyjia Jones scored a season-high 16 points as she shot 5-for-11 from the floor, 2-for-5 from distance, and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Jordan McLaughlin followed with 13 points, Amari Young finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Makayla Dickens also tallied 11 points as she knocked down 3-of-6 shots from the perimeter.
Jones scored five straight points to open the game as ODU built an early 10-2 lead, but the Panthers pulled even at 12-12 to end the first quarter. After a 25-22 lead at halftime, Dickens closed out the third quarter with an eight-point burst that helped push ODU's advantage to double digits, 45-34. The Virginia Beach, Virginia native then opened the fourth with her third made three-pointer in four shots, and Jones followed with a jumper as ODU pulled away 50-34. However, GSU responded with a 19-3 run to close the gap, 55-53 with 3:04 to play. From there, the Monarchs ramped up the pressure and made 7-of-9 shots at the line to seal the victory.
Young (11.5 ppg) and Dickens (10.5 ppg) are ODU's top two scorers, followed by Kaye Clark (8.9 ppg) and McLaughlin (8.7 ppg). Dickens is currently second in the Sun Belt in three-point attempts (186) and third in three pointers made (63). Clark leads the league and ranks 13th in the country in steals (83) and 27th in steals per game (2.59). Young is averaging 8.5 boards per outing while Brianna Jackson and Jada Duckett have recorded 20 and 18 blocks, respectively.
As of March 1, the Monarchs rank second in the league and 27th nationally with 19.84 turnovers forced per game. ODU is also second in the Sun Belt and 36th in the country with 9.8 steals per game. With 65.5 points per game and a +3.9 scoring margin, the team enters Friday's quarterfinal shooting .392 (779-for-1988) from the floor, including .290 (173-for-596) from beyond the arc, and .629 (365-for-580) at the charity stripe.
About Troy
Troy was the only Sun Belt team ODU did not play during the regular season. The Trojans (17-12, 12-6) finished tied for fourth in the Sun Belt standings alongside ODU and Georgia Southern, but earned the No. 4 seed and a double bye thanks to tiebreakers.
The Trojans were atop the league table after starting off conference play 10-2. However, they dropped three of their final four games, which allowed James Madison, Texas State and Southern Miss to overtake them late.
Troy has four players averaging double figures: All-Sun Belt First Teamer Makayia Hallmon (14.6 ppg), Third Team selection Ja'Mia Hollings (12.9 ppg), Nia Daniel (12.9 ppg) and another Third Teamer in Tai'Sheka Porchia (12.5 ppg). Daniel and Hallmon are the top threats from distance with a combined 67 made three-pointers. On the glass, Hollings averages 8.5 rebounds, Amber Leggett is next with 8.0 rebounds, and Felmas Koranga is third at 7.8. Sharonica Hartsfield owns 103 assists with 56 steals, and Janeen Camp has the team-high in blocks with 30.
The Trojans lead the nation in both rebounds per game (51.34) and offensive rebounds per game (21.9). Troy also ranks fifth in free throw attempts per game (23.62), free throws made per game (16.38) and scoring offense (83.3) and ninth in steals per game (11.6). The team has outscored its opponents by an average of 5.8 points and enters the tournament shooting .388 (896-for-2308) from the field, .282 (149-for-528) from distance), and .693 (475-for-685) at the line.
NET Rankings
Sun Belt Conference in the NCAA NET Rankings – as of March 1
| James Madison | 114 |
| Troy | 136 |
| Texas State | 149 |
| Old Dominion | 150 |
| Southern Miss. | 166 |
| Georgia Southern | 180 |
| Marshall | 181 |
| Louisiana | 194 |
| Coastal Carolina | 210 |
| App State | 225 |
| Georgia State | 247 |
| Arkansas State | 250 |
| ULM | 329 |
| South Alabama | 336 |
Up Next
The winner of Friday's game will advance to the Semifinals on Sunday, where they will face the winner of a Quarterfinal game between No. 1 James Madison and No. 8 Marshall. Sunday's game is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. EST start.