DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Old Dominion women’s basketball battled with Oakland from start to finish on Saturday, but it was the Monarchs that came out on top with a 64-56 win over the Golden Grizzlies on the final day of the Daytona Beach Classic.
“They came out hard and they really taxed us defensively, but we were still able to hold that team well under their average,” said ODU Head Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones.
Oakland (2-6) led 32-29 at halftime, but ODU (6-2) outscored its opponent 35-24 in the second half and converted 5-of-5 free throw attempts in the closing minutes. Simone Cunningham tied her career high with 18 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field. She also pulled down 14 rebounds, including nine offensive boards, for her first double-double of the season and fourth in her time as a Monarch. The Pleasant Grove, Alabama native also collected two assists with one block and one steal.
En’Dya Buford went 5-for-13 from the floor, including 1-for-3 from deep, and 5-for-9 at the line for 16 points and was close to a double-double as well with eight boards. Brenda Fontana turned in nine points with seven rebounds and Simaru Fields also netted nine points with five rebounds.
“Our defense is doing what it is designed to do, but every team that we’ve played has played a different type of defense on us,” continued Milton-Jones. “We’ve seen 1-2-2, 1-3-1, 1-3-1 with trap. We’ve seen matchup zone, pick and roll coverage, and switches. So I get a little frustrated where we are offensively, but I know in a matter of time it’s all going to settle out once we get into conference play and see a consistent way of playing.”
The teams shot fairly evenly overall, ODU going 26-for-70 (37.1%) from the field compared to a 19-for-52 (36.5%) outing by Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies made three more three-pointers, shooting 5-for-23 (21.7%) to ODU’s 2-for-15 (13.3%) perimeter shooting. Oakland also went 13-for-17 (76.5%) at the line while the Monarchs made 10-of-14 (71.4%) free throw attempts.
The game was tied just two times and there were only four lead changes. ODU dominated in the paint, 44-22, and scored more second-chance points (18-3) and fast-break points (8-2).
“She definitely did her job today and that’s something we expect of her every game,” Milton-Jones said of Cunningham. “I hope she can settle into that role and understand that she really is that type of player and she can be a dominating force in the paint for us. Whether it’s rebounding offensively or defensively or whether it’s scoring or protecting the rim, I’m super proud of her effort.”
A couple of layups by Cunningham and Buford opened the scoring, but Oakland’s Dani Grim completed an and-one opportunity to even the game at 6-6 early. After Buford put ODU back in front with a 1-for-2 effort at the free-throw line, the Golden Grizzlies strung together a 7-0 run for a 13-7 lead with 2:38 remaining in the opening quarter. Buford answered a Lianna Baxter three-pointer with one of her own and the Monarchs trailed 18-12 at the end of the first.
Grim stretched Oakland’s lead to five at 25-18 with a successful jumper followed by a make from beyond the arc. Mariah Clayton and Fontana then found the scoring column to close the gap, 28-26 with 4:25 on the clock. Kylie Buckley and Macy Smith combined to go 4-for-4 at the stripe, and another free throw from Buford and a late bucket by Cunningham got the Monarchs back to within three, 32-29 at the break.
Cunningham opened the scoring in the third quarter and Fields hit a short pullup jumper as ODU regained the lead, 33-32. Following a Serenti Roberts-Adams jumper, Buford grabbed an offensive rebound and drew contact on a second-chance basket. An intentional foul was assessed to the Golden Grizzlies on the play, and Buford proceeded to make 2-of-3 free throws. Kelsey Thompson and Fields made it eight unanswered as the Monarchs went up, 41-34. Oakland responded with a couple of long balls from Maddy Skorupski and Smith to trim the ODU lead to 45-42 with 3:31 left in the quarter. They looked to capitalize on a late turnover by Fields, but Cunningham ended the quarter with a block on a layup attempt by Madison Royal-Davis.
A 6-0 Oakland run knotted the game at 50-50 with 5:07 to go in the fourth. Fontana answered with a hoop and harm and made her ensuing free throw. Buford added a couple of layups and Fields connected on a deep ball as ODU went up, 60-51 with 2:01 remaining. Skorupski gave the Golden Grizzlies some life with a three of her own, but Thompson and Fontana combined to go 4-for-4 at the line to close out the game.
Next up for the Monarchs is a 2 p.m. road game at #20 NC State on Sunday, Dec. 8.
“We played SMU, that’s a Power 4 team in the ACC. Then we played Ohio State, who’s in the Big Ten, and now we get to go up against NC State. So the nerves should be gone.
“We should understand that we’ve played this team before and where we shot ourselves in the foot. We had 20 more possessions than them [last year], but we just coughed the ball up way too many times and weren’t able to hit shots in moments that we needed to.”
“Going to play at NC State, yes that will be a challenge within itself. But I’m hoping with the five days that we have to prepare that we’ll be ready to go.”