DALLAS – It looked like Old Dominion women’s basketball might have a repeat performance as the Monarchs quickly fell behind 9-0 to start Saturday’s road game at SMU. That didn’t last long though as the team ramped up its defensive pressure, got hot from beyond the arc, and put together a late 10-0 run to come away with a 79-70 win over the Mustangs.
“Our bench came in big for us,” said ODU head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones. “Our starters were the ones that had a slow start, had the jitters, and broke our execution in the first 10 possessions at Ball State. Tonight, based off the work we put in in practice, we were able to remedy all of those issues. The bench still came to play and then our starters saw the opportunity that needed to be seized and seized it.”
En’Dya Buford paced the Monarchs (1-1) with 19 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals. She made 5-of-15 shots from the field, including a 2-for-6 effort from the perimeter, and got 7-of-9 free throw attempts to fall. Simaru Fields hit 3-of-6 shots from distance for 13 points, Mikayla Brown turned in a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Kelsey Thompson and Mariah Clayton contributed nine points each.
"It feels really good," Buford responded when asked about seeing her hard work pay off postgame. "It's those dog days that paid off today. We came together, we worked together, and listened to the game plan and got the win."
Down by one point at the half, 40-39, ODU outscored the hosts 40-30 in the second half. The Monarchs turned 20 SMU turnovers into 15 points and netted 17 second-chance points with 20 fast-break points. Thompson gathered three steals, Clayton had two, and Fields and Simone Cunningham made two blocks each.
More impressive was the depth of the team’s bench: ODU’s reserves combined for 45 points, compared to just 12 points by SMU’s bench.
"When we need each other, we've got each and we're here for each other," Buford said of the team's depth.
“We battled them on the boards on the offensive end and on the defensive end. We didn’t do a good job in the first half of limiting their attempts from the three-point line, but we shored ourselves up in that aspect of the game and knew if we took that away from their game, then we would have a great opportunity to walk away with a tremendous win,” added Milton-Jones.
The Mustangs (1-1) built an early 9-0 lead before Cunningham grabbed an offensive rebound and scored the putback for ODU’s first points of the game. The Pleasant Grove, Alabama native followed with another second-chance basket, and Thompson found Clayton for a corner three to close the gap, 12-7 with just under five minutes to play in the first. Buford then turned a steal into a fast-break layup and made a three-pointer of her own before Clayton intercepted an errant SMU pass. She found a streaking Camryn Hill as the Monarchs scored 12 unanswered. A 1-for-2 effort at the line by Clayton and a turnaround jumper from Hill put ODU in front, 17-16 after the first 10 minutes.
ODU hit another five threes in the second. Clayton opened the quarter with a three-pointer and Fields made two more to give the Monarchs a 26-23 advantage at the 5:43 mark. SMU’s Nya Robertson (29 points) responded with three long balls of her own though as the Mustangs regained control, 38-34. A late Jadyn Atchison three-pointer and a layup by Brown gave ODU control at 39-38 with just under a minute before halftime. Jessica Peterson scored on SMU’s next possession, and another SMU basket at the buzzer was waved off upon further review as ODU trailed 40-39 at the break.
The Mustangs opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run, but Brown got to line and sank both of her free throws, Brenda Fontana scored a layup, and Thompson drained an open three to even the score at 46-46. Later, a Buford jumper tied the game again at 52-52. Brown added another 2-for-2 effort at the line and Buford completed an old-fashioned three-point play for a 57-52 Monarch lead. Buford then closed out the quarter with a couple of free throws as ODU went into the final stanza up 59-55.
Asked about the team staying poised under pressure, Buford added, "It's really just staying calm, having confidence, and listening to Coach D. Everything she says, goes. We just followed the game plan and everything worked out in our favor."
SMU stayed within striking distance until Buford and Thompson hit back-to-back three-pointers. That opened up a 10-0 run that stretched ODU’s lead to 78-63. The Mustangs put together a 7-0 response, but it wasn’t enough as it took the game down to 40 seconds. Thompson made 1-of-2 shots at the stripe and then proceeded to collect another steal as ODU dribbled out the final seconds of the game.
ODU is now 2-0 in the all-time series. The Monarchs also had a solid cheering section on Saturday as six players returned to their home state.
ODU returns to Norfolk for its home opener this Monday when the Monarchs host Morgan State. Tipoff at Chartway Arena is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.