Old Dominion (8-1) vs. #3 NC State (11-0)
Game Info – Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Location – Chartway Arena (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – ESPN+
Listen – Priority Auto Sports Radio 94.1
Live Stats – Click Here
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women's basketball hosts No. 3 NC State in the Anne Donovan Classic this Wednesday, scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start at Chartway Arena.
The game is in honor of the late Anne Donovan, who led the Lady Monarchs to the 1980 AIAW National Championship and two final four appearances in 1982 and 1983. She became the first female Naismith College Player of the Year in 1983 and also earned the Honda Sports Award and WBCA Player of the Year Award that season. ODU's all-time leading scorer, she won two Olympic gold medals as a player, coached Team USA to gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, and led the Seattle Storm to a WNBA title in 2004. Donovan was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 1988, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999, and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2015.
Wednesday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Chip Tarkenton and Kim Aston on the call. Fans can also tune into Priority Auto Sports Radio 94.1 to hear Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry or follow along with live stats.
The Series
ODU and NC State are meeting for the first time since Dec. 2, 2018 when the Monarchs fell 85-56 to the No. 13 Wolfpack at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. Maggie Robinson led Old Dominion with 17 points, Ann Jernigan finished with 12 points, and Ajah Wayne grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds to go with seven points.
The Pack has won four-straight against the Monarchs and lead the all-time series 22-14. ODU is looking for its first win over NC State since beating them 79-55 on Dec. 30, 2002 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Okeisha Howard scored 20 points with five assists in what was ODU's largest margin of victory in the series.
About ODU
The Monarchs (8-1) suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday, falling 64-50 at VCU. En'Dya Buford led ODU with 15 points, Mimi McCollister was next with nine points, and Kaye Clark and Simone Cunningham finished with six points apiece.
Despite the loss, ODU is still atop the Sun Belt standings. Southern Miss is currently second at 7-1 and is also in action on Wednesday: the Lady Eagles open the Homewood Suites Classic in Fort Myers, Florida with a 3 p.m. game against Cleveland State. Georgia Southern (8-2) and ULM (8-2) are tied for third in the league, and James Madison (8-3) is currently fifth.
ODU comes into Wednesday's game as the national leader in three-point percentage defense (.205). The Monarchs are also third in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to an average of 48.1 points, and eighth in field percentage defense (.327). As a team, Old Dominion is shotting .349 from the field, including a .281 clip from distance, and .679 at the free-throw line. The Monarchs are in the plus column in both scoring margin (11.6) and rebounding margin (5.8).
Buford is the team's leading scorer with 11.7 points per game, McLaughlin is averaging 8.7 ppg, and Clark is at 8.4 ppg. Clark is also 10th nationally with 3.22 steals per game and is 32nd with 29 steals. Buford and McCollister (6.0 ppg) have both made 12 three-pointers, and Cunningham is the leader in both rebounds (7.7 rpg) and blocks (9).
About NC State
The Wolfpack (11-0), currently ranked third in the AP Poll and fourth in the USA Today Coaches Poll, secured a 66-54 road win at USF this past Saturday. River Baldwin and Aziaha James turned in a pair of 16-point efforts to pace the offense, Madison Hayes and Zoe Brooks both scored 12 points, and Mimi Collins just missed out on double figures with nine points.
NC State already has a couple of wins over ranked opponents this season. The team upset a No. 2 UConn squad 92-81 on Nov. 12 in Raleigh and defeated a then-No. 3 Colorado team 78-60 on Nov. 25 in the Paradise Jam held in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Through games played on Dec. 18, the Pack is listed 12th in the NET rankings. NC State is also one of 12 teams that are still undefeated.
The team has five players averaging double-digit scoring: James is first with 16.4 ppg, Rivers is second at 13.7 ppg, Hayes comes into Wednesday's game with 10.6 ppg, and Brooks and River Baldwin are both at 10.1 ppg. James has the hot hand from beyond the arc. The Virginia Beach native and Princess Anne High School product is second in the ACC with 26 threes and a .419 clip from long range. She's also fourth in the conference with 2.36 three-pointers per game. Baldwin has made 21-of-24 (.875) shots at the line. She is the top rebounder for the Pack with 7.3 boards per outing and has also made a team-high 12 blocks. Rivers and Brooks own 19 and 15 steals, respectively.
Through its first 11 games, NC State is shooting .455 from the field, .340 from distance, and .723 at the charity stripe. The team has also outscored its opponents by an average of 22.5 points, good for 22nd in the country, and owns a +13.2 rebounding margin (13th). The Wolfpack also ranks fourth nationally in defensive rebounds per game (33.5), ninth in field goal percentage defense (.330), 13th in rebounds per game (46.36), and 20th in fouls per game (13.5).
NC State was picked to finish eighth in the ACC by 61 voters that comprise the league's Blue Ribbon Panel.
Up Next
ODU opens Sun Belt Conference play on the road as the Monarchs will make the trip to Mobile, Alabama for a 2 p.m. EST meeting with South Alabama on Dec. 30.
Monarchs Host No. 3 NC State in the Anne Donovan Classic Wednesday
