NORFOLK, Va. – Four Monarchs scored in double figures as Old Dominion women’s basketball opened Sun Belt Conference play with a dominant 82-59 win over visiting South Alabama on Sunday afternoon at Chartway Arena.
“Tonight’s game was a huge sigh of relief to get that first Sun Belt game under your belt,” said ODU Head Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones afterwards. “It’s beautiful when you can play at home, you can play that well, and you can win. The game had some patches where it got a little choppy and a little ugly, but once we settled ourselves and we got back to the scouting and centered ourselves, we were able to establish our power, dictate on the defensive end, and move the ball with efficiency on the offensive end and get great looks.”
En’Dya Buford shot 8-for-11 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 at the free-throw line to lead the way with 19 points. The Memphis, Tennessee native also helped lead ODU on the glass with seven rebounds and added three steals and two assists to her totals.
“Really it was just staying mentally strong and listening to my coaches and teammates, having the energy, and coming to play and showing up,” Buford said of her performance.
Kelsey Thompson, playing against her former team for the first time since transferring to ODU, followed Buford with 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the floor and a 3-for-3 effort at the charity stripe. The junior from Mobile, Alabama pulled down five boards to go along with three assists and one steal.
“We weren’t satisfied with that last game [against Virginia State], so we knew what our mindset was coming into this game,” said Thompson. “Coach D had expressed all week that we have another chance to make a first impression. We started off with Ball State and it didn’t go our way, but today was our chance and we set the tone.”
Simaru Fields turned in a 12-point performance and Brenda Fontana added 11 points with seven rebounds and a pair of blocks. Hama’ya Fielder made both of her shots from distance to finish with eight points while Simone Cunningham tallied five points with four blocks, a new career high for the senior.
“I’m super proud of my players and their ability to manage the game from start to finish,” continued Milton-Jones. “It didn’t matter what lineup we put in, we saw great things being produced.”
The Jaguars (4-8, 0-1 Sun Belt) held the lead for the first two minutes of the game, but it was all ODU after that as the Monarchs (9-4, 1-0) were out front for nearly 37 minutes. USA’s Daniela Gonzalez opened the scoring with a couple of jumpers before Buford got ODU on the board with a layup. Camryn Hill evened the game at 4-4 with a good jumper and Thompson gave the Monarchs their first lead, 7-4, as she completed an and-one opportunity at the 6:39 mark. Three-pointers from Fields and Fielder helped swell that advantage to 21-8 and Old Dominion led 23-12 after the first 10 minutes of action.
The Jags closed the gap early in the second quarter, 28-24, as Terren Coffil and Gonzalez made back-to-back threes. The Monarchs came up with a 10-0 response though, beginning with an old-fashioned three-point play by Fields. Brenda Fontana then knocked down a deep ball before Thompson and Fields got a pair of shots to fall. The sides traded baskets the rest of the quarter and ODU took a 44-34 lead into the locker room.
The Monarchs broke open the game with a 12-0 run to start the third quarter. Buford started it off with a fast-break layup and a 2-for-2 effort at the line. Cunningham was fouled and converted both of her free throws, then scored a layup and another free throw. Marie Kenembeni capped off the run as she banked in a three off the glass as ODU went up 56-34 with 5:20 on the clock. A late jumper by Mariah Clayton and another long ball by Fielder closed out the quarter with the Monarchs out front, 65-41.
The visitors outscored ODU 18-17 in the fourth, but couldn’t make any significant runs to get back in the game. The closest they would get would be to within 18 points at 70-52 as Coffil drew contact on a layup and made the ensuing free throw.
ODU had 11 different players in the scoring column as the team combined to shoot 31-for-69 (44.9%) from the floor, 5-for-14 (35.7%) from the perimeter, and 15-for-20 (75.0%) at the line. The Monarchs dominated in the paint, outscoring their opponents 42-22. Old Dominion also turned 18 USA turnovers into 27 points and scored more second-chance points (19-6), fast-break points (23-10), and bench points (29-17).
Asked about how many teammates can contribute on any given day, Buford commented, “It’s a break that I love to have knowing that even if it’s not my night, two or three other people can come in and step up. But we’re all for our each other.”
“It gives us the mindset that we don’t have to force anything because we’ll be fresh on the court,” added Thompson. “It allows us to be relaxed and play the game as it is. Someone else can sub in and pick up the slack, then you sub back in and pick up their slack.”
The Monarchs outrebounded South Alabama 51-38, but sent the visitors to the line nine more times. The Jags attempted 29 free throws, but made only 13 of them.
“We wanted to win the battle on the boards, and we did that handsomely. The only thing that I’m disappointed in is the fact that we put them on the free-throw line 29 times. We were fouling way too much and their team was in the bonus for sometimes four to five minutes left in the quarter.
“But overall, I’m pleased to get this win to start off the Sun Belt Conference and going into the New Year,” said Milton-Jones.
With the win, ODU improves to 13-3 in the all-time series with USA. It’s also the second year in a row the Monarchs have opened conference play with a win and the third time in the past four seasons.
ODU’s next two games are on the road, beginning with a 7 p.m. EST clash with Southern Miss on Thursday. The Monarchs then head to ULM next Saturday for a 3 p.m. meeting with the Warhawks.