Old Dominion (18-7, 9-5 Sun Belt) at App State (14-12, 7-7 Sun Belt) | at Georgia State (15-10, 9-5 Sun Belt)
Game Info – Thursday, Feb. 22 at 6:30 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m.
Location – Holmes Convocation Center (Boone, N.C.) | GSU Convocation Center (Atlanta, Ga.)
Watch – ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2)
Listen – Fox Sports Radio 1310
Live Stats – Game 1 | Game 2
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women's basketball has its final road trip of the regular season this week as the Monarchs play at App State on Thursday and at Georgia State on Saturday. Opening tip against the Mountaineers is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., while Saturday's meeting with the Panthers will tentatively start at 5 p.m. following the conclusion of the GSU's men's game versus Texas State.
Fans can watch both games on ESPN+ or they can tune into Fox Sports Radio 1310 to hear Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry call the action. Live stats will also be available.
The Series
ODU improved to 4-1 all-time against App State with a 68-49 victory over the Mountaineers on Jan. 25 at Chartway Arena. En'Dya Buford paced the Monarchs with 14 points and added three assists and three steals to her totals. Kaye Clark followed with 12 points, and Simone Cunningham, Brenda Fontana and Jordan McLaughlin added nine points each. Cunningham pulled down 12 rebounds with ODU beating App State on the glass, 46-25. The Mountaineers entered the game ranked 26th nationally with 14.9 offensive rebounds per game, but finished the game with just three.
The Monarchs beat the Panthers 73-65 at Chartway Arena on Jan. 27, moving to 19-1 in the series. Buford again paced the offense, this time netting 18 points to include 10 made free throws in the final two minutes. McLaughlin turned in a 12-point, four-assist performance and Clark contributed 10 points with three steals. It marked the 12th-straight win over GSU.
About ODU
The Monarchs (18-7, 9-5 Sun Belt) split their two home games last week, defeating Coastal Carolina 65-58 on Wednesday before suffering an 89-75 setback to Marshall on Saturday. An 18-point effort from Fontana and 12 points with seven rebounds by Cunningham helped ODU pull away from the Chanticleers. In the second game against the Herd, ODU was down by two 33-31 at halftime, but the visitors broke open the game with 32 points in the third quarter. Buford and Fontana led the Monarchs with 16 points each, Cunningham posted a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Clark chipped in 10 points.
ODU enters the week averaging 63.9 ppg and still leads the Sun Belt in scoring defense at 60.1 points allowed per game. The Monarchs are currently 22nd in the country in turnovers forced per game (20.64), rank second in the league in turnover margin (3.96) and winning percentage (.720), and are third in the conference in steals per game (10.5) and three-point percentage defense (.277). As a team, ODU is shooting .376 from the field, .273 from distance, and .669 at the free-throw line. The team is currently 126th in the NET rankings.
Buford and McLaughlin are the top two scorers for the Monarchs at 11.7 and 10.3 ppg, respectively. Fontana is third with a 9.1 scoring average and Clark is close behind her at 8.8 ppg. Fontana has made a team-high 33 three-pointers, though Buford is on her heels with 32 makes from beyond the arc. Cunningham averages 7.1 ppg and is the leader on the glass with 175 rebounds (7.0 rpg). McLaughlin owns a team-best 72 assists and Cunningham and Lanetta Williams (3.4 ppg) have made 19 blocks each. Clark ranks eighth nationally with 78 steals and is also 11th with 3.12 steals per game.
ODU is currently tied for fourth alongside Georgia State in the Sun Belt standings with four games to go before the conference tournament. The top four seeds will earn a two-round bye to the quarterfinals, scheduled for Friday, March 8.
About App State
The Mountaineers (14-12, 7-7) also went 1-1 last week, falling 87-78 to Marshall last Thursday before getting back in the win column with a 93-67 decision over Georgia State on Saturday. Alexis Black set a new career high of 24 points to lead App State in the loss to the Herd, and Faith Alston scored 24 points with a career-high 11 assists to pace the Mountaineers against the Panthers.
App State is scoring 72.5 ppg and is giving up 71.0 ppg to their opponents. The Mountaineers shoot a combined .396 from the floor, .317 from long range, and .678 at the line. They rank 17th nationally in free throw attempts per game (21.96) and are 28th in free throws made per game (14.88). The team is 160th in the latest NET rankings.
Alston (18.5 ppg) and Emily Carver (14.5 ppg) are the two players averaging double figures for the Mountaineers. The pair are the top threats from beyond the arc as Carver has made 43 threes and Alston is at 41, though Chaé Harries (8.5 ppg) has made 34 and Black (8.7 ppg) can also dial it up with 33 threes. Rylan Moffitt (6.5 ppg) owns the team highs in rebounds (211, 8.1 rpg) and blocks 25 while Alston leads the team with 124 assists and 50 steals.
App State is tied for eighth in the Sun Belt standings with Louisiana. After ODU, the Mountaineers will close out the regular season against James Madison (Feb. 24), at Troy (Feb. 28) and at Arkansas State (March 1).
About Georgia State
The Panthers (15-10, 9-5) earned a 73-62 win at JMU last Thursday, but fell 93-67 at App State on Saturday. Mikyla Tolivert ended up with 20 points help lead GSU past the Dukes. It marked the program's first four-game win streak in Sun Belt play since the 2018-19 season. Four Panthers reached double figures in the loss to the Mountaineers: Christeina Bryan and Tolivert both scored 13 points, Deasia Merrill tallied 11 points and Kaleigh Addie had 10.
GSU comes into the week at the No. 173 spot in the NET rankings and ranks third in the league and 37th nationally with 24.3 bench points per contest. The Panthers average 71.7 ppg and own a +4.3 scoring margin with 67.4 points allowed. The team is shooting .412 from the field, .305 from the perimeter, and .713 at the line.
The Panther offense is led by three players in double figures: Tolivert is the top scorer at 14.3 ppg, Crystal Henderson is second with 11.5 ppg, and Mya Williams is third at 10.7 ppg. Williams is a threat from long range with 48 threes this season. Alyssa Phillip (4.5 ppg) has grabbed 183 boards (7.3 rpg) and Merrill (8.7 ppg) is second in rebounds with 155 (6.7 rpg). Merrill owns 27 blocks and ranks third in the Sun Belt with 1.17 blocks per game.
Georgia State is tied for four in the conference standings with ODU. The Panthers open their week at home against Coastal Carolina on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. They'll wrap up the regular season on the road at Marshall (Feb. 27) and at CCU (March 1).
Up Next
ODU closes out the regular season with a pair of home games against Georgia Southern and James Madison next week. The Monarchs will play the Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27 and take on the Dukes at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 1 in what will be Senior Night for ODU.
ODU Women's Basketball Plays at App State Thursday, at Georgia State on Saturday
