Old Dominion (10-3, 2-1 Sun Belt) at Coastal Carolina (7-9, 1-2 Sun Belt) | at Georgia Southern (12-3, 2-1 Sun Belt)
Game Info – Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. | Saturday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m.
Location – HTC Center (Conway, S.C) | Hanner Fieldhouse (Statesboro, Ga.)
Watch – ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2)
Listen – Game 1 | Game 2
Live Stats – Game 1 | Game 2
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women's basketball has a pair of road games this week as the Monarchs play at Coastal Carolina on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and at Georgia Southern on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can also hear Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry on Priority Auto Sports Radio 94.1 FM on Wednesday and on Fox Sports Radio 1310 AM, 100.9 FM on Saturday. Live stats will also be available.
The Series
ODU and Coastal Carolina are tied at 1-1 with both teams winning on their respective courts last season. Amari Young scored 17 points with eight rebounds and two steals to help the Monarchs to a 78-64 victory on Jan. 28 inside Chartway Arena. ODU then capped off its 2022-23 regular season at CCU on Feb. 24, falling to the Chanticleers 76-68. Young led ODU in the loss with 17 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals.
The Monarchs are up 2-0 in the all-time series versus the Eagles. Jordan McLaughlin scored with four seconds left in overtime as ODU beat Georgia Southern 84-82 on Jan. 12, 2023, in Statesboro. ODU then hosted the Eagles on Feb. 9, with the Monarchs holding the Sun Belt's top scoring team to a season low to earn a 67-50 victory. Makayla Dickens finished with 14 points while McLaughlin and Jatyjia Jones chipped in 11 points each.
About ODU
The Monarchs (10-3, 2-1 Sun Belt) split their two conference games last week, falling 66-61 to Louisiana on Thursday before bouncing back with a 68-62 win over Southern Miss on Saturday. McLaughlin tied her career high of 22 points to lead the team against the Ragin' Cajuns while Brenda Fontana set a new career best with 19 points versus the Lady Eagles.
ODU has two players averaging double-digit scoring: En'Dya Buford comes into the week at 10.5 points per game and McLaughlin is close behind her with 10.0 ppg. The Monarchs have several options to choose from when shooting from the perimeter. Buford and Mimi McCollister (5.2 ppg) have made a team-high 15 three-pointers, McLaughlin has knocked down 14, and Fontana (6.8 ppg) has hit 13 threes. Simone Cunningham (4.4 ppg) is pulling down 6.7 rebounds per contest and has made 10 blocks, and Lanetta Williams (3.3 ppg) has blocked 12 shots. Kaye Clark (8.4 ppg) ranks seventh in the nation with 3.38 steals per game and 16th with 44 steals through games played on Jan. 8.
As a team, the Monarchs are shooting .354 from the field, .294 from beyond the arc, and .668 at the free-throw line. ODU is netting 59.8 ppg while holding opposing teams to 54.2 ppg, good for 19th in the country in scoring defense. The team is also second in the Sun Belt and 30th nationally in three-point percentage defense (.260). The Monarchs are listed 131st in the latest NET rankings and were 16th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll that was released last Tuesday.
About Coastal Carolina
The Chanticleers (7-9, 1-2) also went 1-1 last week, defeating Southern Miss 88-71 on Wednesday but dropping an 86-80 game to Troy on Saturday. CCU had four players score in double digits against the Lady Eagles, led by a 22-point performance by senior forward Makaila Cange. In the second game, the Chants trimmed a 12-point deficit to just three points at 78-75 with one minute left, but were unable to complete the comeback. Cange led Coastal again, this time with 17 points.
CCU's offense is paced by Deaja Richardson (16.0 ppg), Cange (13.2 ppg) and Arin Freeman (12.3 ppg). Richardson is the threat from long range with 30 three-pointers made, and she currently ranks second in the league and 30th nationally in three-point attempts (107). On the glass, Cange is the team's top rebounder with 121 boards (7.6 rpg). Alancia Ramsey (7.8 ppg) is close behind her with 118 rebounds (7.4 rpg) and ranks 17th nationally with 3.8 offensive rebounds per outing. Riley Stack (3.2 ppg) is second in the Sun Belt in both blocks (26) and blocks per game (1.62), while Freeman and Richardson have combined for 49 steals.
Coastal is scoring 68.1 ppg, but owns a -6.0 scoring margin. The team is shooting a combined .405 from the floor, .275 from deep, and .634 at the charity stripe. The Chanticleers find themselves listed 237th in the NET rankings and they're also 11th in the country in free throw attempts per game (23.25) and 27th in offensive rebounds per game (15.2).
Coastal was picked to finish 10th in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches' Poll with Richardson representing the Chants on the Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team. Head coach Kevin Pederson is in his second season with the program.
About Georgia Southern
Following a 74-71 setback against Troy last Thursday, the Eagles (12-3, 2-1) erased a 14-point second-half deficit to secure a 69-66 win over ULM on Saturday. After scoring a layup to tie the game at 66-66 with four seconds left, Terren Ward stole the ensuing inbounds pass and launched a deep three that banked in off the glass. That effort led to the senior guard/forward earning Sun Belt Player of the Week honors for the fourth time this season on Tuesday morning.
Ward will certainly test ODU's defense on Saturday. The Jesup, Georgia native ranks second in the country in both double-doubles (12) and field goal attempts (291). She's also fourth in scoring (343 points), fifth in field goals made (127), sixth in points per game (22.9), 12th in rebounds (157), 22nd in rebounds per game (10.5) and 24th in offensive rebounds per game (7.2). Ward also leads the Eagles with 34 three-pointers made, 28 steals and 12 blocks. Simone James is second on the team in scoring at 10.5 ppg, Eden Johnson averages 7.6 ppg, and Torrion Starks is fourth at 7.0 ppg.
Southern leads the nation with 50.53 rebounds per game and 19.7 offensive rebounds per game. The Eagles are also 11th in defensive rebounds per game (30.9), 14th in field goal percentage defense (.345) and turnovers forced per game (22.80), 17th in rebounding margin (+10.8) and bench points per game (29.6), 19th in steals per game (11.7), and 23rd in scoring offense (80.7 ppg) and free throw attempts per game (21.93). Receiving votes in last week's Mid-Major Poll and listed 135th in the NET rankings, the Eagles are shooting .419 from the field, .272 from the perimeter, and .657 at the line.
Georgia Southern was picked to finish fifth in the league's Preseason Poll with Ward named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team. Head coach Anita Howard is in her fifth season leading the program.
Up Next
The Monarchs continue their four-game road stretch next week with a 6 p.m. game at Marshall on Thursday, Jan. 18 and a 2 p.m. contest at James Madison on Saturday, Jan. 20.
Monarchs Head South to Face Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern
