MONROE, La. – Robert Davis Jr. hit a three-pointer with 1:21 remaining in overtime and Sean Durugordon hit a pair of free throws to give Old Dominion men’s basketball a lead they would not relinquish in an 80-75 overtime win over ULM in the Sun Belt Conference opener Saturday afternoon.
ODU improves to 4-8 overall with a 1-0 mark in league play.
“Very blessed and thankful to get out of here with one, it's been over a week since we played. Winning this game is incredibly important to us as we go forward,” said ODU Head Coach Mike Jones.
Caelum Swanton-Rodger, and Stephaun Walker each hit free throws with less than five seconds left to seal the Monarchs’ victory.
Robert Davis Jr.’s career high 32 points and seven threes helped lead the way to shoot down ULM (4-10, 0-1). R.J. Blakney had a solid night rebounding the basketball, with 13 total and seven offensive rebounds, both of which were career highs for the senior forward from Baltimore. Jaden Johnson set a career-high with nine assists.
Blakney hit a mid-range two with 21 seconds remaining in the second half to extend ODU’s lead to five at 68-63. Jacob Wilson hit a three on the next possession for the Warhawks to cut the lead to two. A turnover by Davis Jr. and a foul by Walker brought Bolton to the line with 2.1 remaining. Bolton hit both and a long-distance effort from Davis Jr. fell short as the game headed to overtime.
“As we grow, you hope that we’re gonna mature to the point where we don’t have the lull that we had to allow them back into the game like that. But, we got it done. On the road it is especially important and I will take that everyday and all day. The circumstances weren’t optimal but we got it done, very proud of our squad,” added Jones.
Down 75-72 in overtime, a clutch Davis Jr. three tied the game at 75. Durugordon got himself to the line and made both foul shots. Swanton-Rodger drew a foul and made one at the line and missed the second, but Walker was there to clean up the rebound and was intentionally fouled. Walker made both at the line with three seconds remaining to give the Monarchs a five-point lead for the final 80-75 margin. ODU finished the game on an 8-0 run.
The Monarchs led at halftime 32-29 and held the lead from the 17:17 mark. Davis led the way with 12 first half points, while Swanton-Rodger chipped in with five points.
ODU extended its lead in the second half to 11 points at 47-36, until a 9-0 run by the Warhawks cut into it. Jacob Wilson led the way for the Warhawks with 23 points and Jalen Bolton chipped in with 17 and went 9-13 from the stripe.
“There was a lot of good things out of our team tonight, things that we know we can continue to build on,” said Jones.
ODU scored 26 points in the paint, 18 second chance points, and grabbed 48 rebounds, including 19 offensive rebounds on the night. Old Dominion shot 39.5% from the field, 33% from deep and 83% from the stripe. ULM finished the game shooting 37% from the field and 41% from deep, 77% from the line.
“Very Merry Christmas, thank you for being who you guys are, no offense to the other teams in the league but I just can’t imagine that, being able to count on Monarch nation showing up, having our back every single day is something that is a blessing to us.” said Jones.
UP NEXT
The Monarchs will be back at Chartway Arena a week from today when they host Virginia Wesleyan for a 4 p.m. tipoff.