Old Dominion (8-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) at South Alabama (7-5, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Game Info – Saturday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. EST
Location – Mitchell Center (Mobile, Ala.)
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 is on the road to start conference play as the Monarchs travel to Mobile, Alabama for a 2 p.m. EST game against South Alabama this Saturday.
Fans can watch ODU's Sun Belt opener on ESPN+ or tune into Priority Auto Sports Radio 94.1 to hear Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry. Live stats will also be available.
The Series
Saturday's game will mark the 15th meeting between the two programs, with ODU holding an 11-3 advantage in the series. The Monarchs are looking for their third-straight win over the Jaguars.
USA made the trip to Chartway Arena on Jan. 7 last season, with ODU securing an 83-43 victory behind a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double from Amari Young and a 13-point performance by Makayla Dickens. The Monarchs had 12-of-14 players end up in the scoring column. The game marked the first meeting in the series since the 1990-91 season.
About ODU
The Monarchs (8-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) hosted No. 3 NC State in the Anne Donovan Classic on Dec. 20, falling to the Wolfpack 87-50. A Brenda Fontana three-pointer gave ODU a 19-18 lead with 8:29 to play in the second quarter, but the Monarchs missed 14 of their next 15 shots, allowing the visitors to take back control. Fontana made 4-of-7 shots from distance and led ODU with 12 points, and Nnenna Orji also scored in double figures with 10 points.
ODU enters Saturday's game shooting a combined .338 from the floor, .287 from the perimeter, and .684 at the free-throw line. The Monarchs are currently 11th nationally in scoring defense (52.0 ppg) and are also 18th in the country in three-point percentage defense (.241) and 24th in field goal percentage defense (.349). The team is ranked 15th in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and is listed 122nd in the NET rankings through games played on Dec. 28.
En'Dya Buford continues to pace the offense with 11.0 points per game. Jordan McLaughlin is second in scoring at 8.4 ppg, and Kaye Clark is third with 7.8 ppg. Buford and Mimi McCollister (5.4 ppg) have made 25 threes between the two of them and Simone Cunningham (4.7 ppg) is the Monarchs' top rebounder with 7.2 boards per outing. On defense, Clark is averaging 3.00 steals per game, good for 18th in the nation. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native also leads the SBC and ranks 41st nationally with 30 steals. Buford follows Clark with 23 steals, Cunningham has the team high in blocks with nine, and Lanetta Williams is up to seven blocks.
A win on Saturday would mark career win number 100 for head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones. In her fourth year leading the Monarchs, she is currently 99-67 (.596) overall and 67-35 (.657) while at ODU.
About South Alabama
The Jaguars (7-5, 0-0 SBC) are also hoping to snap a two-game skid after falling 64-41 to Ole Miss on Dec. 18 and 68-34 to Louisiana Tech on Dec. 21. Kelsey Thompson led USA against the Lady Techsters with eight points while Jordan Rosier, Zena Elias and Michiyah Simmons all finished with six points. It marked the first time since a 69-59 loss at Alabama State on Nov. 28, 2021 that no Jags scored in double figures.
Thompson is averaging 11.7 ppg to lead South Alabama. Simmons is next with 9.3 ppg, Rachel Leggett contributes 8.9 ppg, and Rosier and Elias are both at 8.7 ppg. The Jags have three options from long range: Rosier has knocked down a team-high 21 threes, Simmons has made 15 and Thompson 14. Elias does most of the work on the glass with 7.9 rpg, Emani Burks has the high in blocks with 10, and Elias is right behind her with nine. Elias, Thompson, Leggett and Rosier all have 14 steals.
Heading into conference play, South Alabama is fourth in the league in three-point shooting (.333) and fifth in three-pointers per game (5.9), rebounds per game (41.17), defensive rebounds per game (28.2), and rebounding margin (+3.9). As a team, the Jags are also shooting .383 from the field and .728 at the charity stripe. USA comes into Saturday's game listed 260th in the NET rankings.
Yolisha Jackson was named the 10th head coach in program history back in March and returns to Mobile after spending three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at South Florida. Jackson previously spent seven years at South Alabama as an assistant coach and was elevated to associate head coach in 2019-20. The Jags were picked to finish 14th in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches' Poll with Thompson named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team.
Up Next
ODU will be back in Norfolk for its next two games as the Monarchs host Louisiana for a 6:30 p.m. EST game on Jan. 4 and Southern Miss at 1 p.m. EST on Jan. 6.
Monarchs Open Conference Play at South Alabama on Saturday
