NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women's basketball overcame a slow start on Sunday afternoon as the Monarchs defeated Christopher Newport, 97-61 in an exhibition game at Chartway Arena.
The visiting Captains held a 21-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Monarchs' offense finally clicked in the second as the home team took over with a 33-8 swing and never looked back. Up 47-29 at the break, ODU outscored CNU 31-17 in the third quarter and 19-15 in the fourth.
All 14 Monarchs got into the game and all 14 also got into the scoring column. Leading a balanced attack was Mariah Clayton with 13 points, Kelsey Thomson with 12 points, Simaru Fields added 11 points and Simone Cunningham contributed 10. En’Dya Buford finished with nine points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals while Mikayla Brown also came away with six boards to help lead ODU on the glass.
As a team, the Monarchs combined to shoot 40-for-76 (.526) from the field, including 7-for-19 (.368) from the perimeter, and 10-for-16 (.625) at the free-throw line. ODU scored more points off turnovers (34-12), in the paint (64-28), more second-chance points (17-2), fast-break points (21-6), and points off the bench (53-32).
"Today’s game was a great showcase for us to get the jitters out and truly see where we are as a team,” said ODU Head Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones. “I love the energy we showed on both ends of the floor. We produced offensively at a high rate and it’s only a matter of time that our defense catches up to it.”
In the opening stanza, Clayton knocked down a three-pointer to put ODU ahead, 12-11. That’s when the Captains put together a 10-0 run that ate up over three and half minutes. Thompson snapped the scoreless drought with a good jumper right before the buzzer.
Buford scored a couple of quick layups to begin the second quarter. Fields then followed with a deep ball to even the score at 21-21 and Thompson made another to put ODU in front, 24-21. The junior transfer from South Alabama then drew contact on a made basket and converted the ensuing free-throw attempt. Fields also made good with some hoop and harm as the Monarchs pushed their lead to 31-21. CNU’s Ella Negron finally scored the Captains’ first points of the quarter, but a Fielder three-ball highlighted another 9-0 spurt by ODU. Down the stretch, Clayton went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe, Fielder made another long ball, and Jadyn Atchison scored a layup before the teams went into the locker rooms.
CNU was unable to catch ODU from there as the Monarchs scored another 10 unanswered in the third quarter.
“Overall, I’m pleased to see all our players play and produce. The icing on the cake was seeing our faithful fans come out to support us,” added Milton-Jones.
ODU has a week to prepare for its season opener at Ball State. The Cardinals will host the Monarchs for a 6:30 p.m. tip on Monday, Nov. 4 in what marks the first round of this season’s MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.