Old Dominion (12-5, 4-1 SBC) vs. App State (8-7, 4-1 SBC) | vs. Texas State (8-7, 2-3 SBC)
Game Info – Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m. | Saturday, Jan. 18 at 1 p.m.
Location – Chartway Arena (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2)
Listen – ESPN Sports Radio 91.1
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women's basketball rounds out its four-game homestand this week with a 6:30 p.m. contest against App State on Wednesday and a 1 p.m. meeting with Texas State on Saturday.
Chip Tarkenton and Kim Aston will cover both games on ESPN+ while Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry can be heard on ESPN Sports Radio 94.1. Fans can also follow along with live stats.
The Series
ODU is ahead 5-1 in the all-time series versus App State and has won three in a row against the Mountaineers. Last season, the Monarchs defeated them 68-49 on Jan. 25 in Norfolk and 81-62 on Feb. 22 in Boone, North Carolina.
Saturday will mark just the third meeting between ODU and TXST with the series even at 1-1. The Bobcats won the first meeting 52-46 in Norfolk on Jan. 26, 2023. ODU then traveled to San Marcos, Texas on Jan. 31 last season and secured a 66-58 victory.
About ODU
The Monarchs (12-5, 4-1 Sun Belt) split their two home games last week, falling 80-77 to Coastal Carolina on Wednesday before bouncing back with an 80-75 win over Marshall on Saturday. ODU is currently in a five-way tie for second in the conference standings alongside Troy, Louisiana, App State and Arkansas State.
En’Dya Buford is scoring 12.2 points per game and is second in the league in free throws made (68), free throw attempts (84), and steals (63). She also owns a team-high 63 assists and is third in the Sun Belt with an 81.0% efficiency at the free-throw line. Simaru Fields continues to lead the team with 26 makes from beyond the arc and is averaging 9.7 ppg while Kelsey Thompson is third with 8.8 ppg. Simone Cunningham (7.1 ppg) and Buford have combined for 208 rebounds and are pulling down 6.2 and 6.1 rebounds per game, respectively. Cunningham also owns 15 blocks and Mariah Clayton (6.2 ppg) has made 10.
Old Dominion is currently 120th in the NET rankings. The Monarchs lead the Sun Belt and are seventh in the nation with 16.9 offensive rebounds per game and are 10th in Division I with 43.53 rpg. ODU is second in the conference in field goal percentage defense (36.9) and three-point percentage defense (26.3) and is third in scoring margin (+5.1). The team averages 65.9 ppg while holding opposing teams to 60.8 ppg. Coming into this week, the Monarchs are shooting 37.7% from the floor, 28.7% from the perimeter, and 68.5% at the free-throw line.
About App State
The Mountaineers (8-7, 4-1) also split their pair of conference games last week, coming up short 85-68 against Troy on Thursday before besting CCU, 63-60 on Saturday. App State held a 12-point, 58-46 lead with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, but saw that nearly erased as a Jaylen Ponder layup got the Chanticleers to within 62-60 with 25 seconds left in the game. Rylan Moffitt paced the Mountaineers with a season high 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting from the field and 1-for-1 effort from deep while Elena Pericic followed with 12 points and seven boards.
App State’s offense is led by Emily Carver with 9.9 ppg, Zada Porter is second at 9.5 ppg, Mara Neira averages 8.7 ppg, and Pericic nets 8.0 ppg. Neira has made 32 threes so far this season, Pericic is up to 21 and Carver is close behind her with 18. Pericic leads the team on the glass with 74 boards and 4.9 rpg. Neira has grabbed 30 steals while Pericic and Moffitt have made eight blocks each.
Through games played on Jan. 13, the team is listed 194th in the NET rankings. App State nets 68.9 ppg game against 67.1 points allowed for a +1.9-scoring margin. The Mountaineers lead the Sun Belt with a 43.0% field goal percentage, rank third with a 33.9% from long range, and shoot 64.3% at the stripe. App State ranks 12th in the country with 29.5 bench points per contest, leads the SBC with 16.0 assists per game, and is third in the conference with 27.3 defensive rebounds per game and a +4.5-rebounding margin.
The Mountaineers were picked to finish 11th in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches’ Poll and Head Coach Alaura Sharp is in her first year with the program. Carver was voted to the Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team.
About Texas State
The Bobcats (8-7, 2-3) fell 66-50 to Arkansas State last Wednesday and then defeated South Alabama 65-54 on Saturday. Jaylin Foster recorded a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win over the Jaguars. Ja’Mia Harris scored 19 points with nine rebounds, Destiny Terrell had 13 points and nine boards, and Blake Matthews finished with 11 points.
Texas State’s offense is paced by Foster with 9.8 ppg, Terrell’s 9.4 ppg, and Harris’s 9.3 ppg. Foster is the primary threat from distance with 19 threes and the senior forward has grabbed a team-high 27 steals. She’s also at 105 board and 7.5 rpg, Terrell is close behind her with 100 rebounds and 6.7 rpg. Terrell and Foster have also made five and four blocks, respectively.
TXST is 232nd in the NET rankings and is 21st nationally in free throw attempts per game (21.40), 26th in free throws made per game (15.13), and 27th in bench points per game (27.2). The Bobcats own a -0.9-scoring margin as they average 63.5 ppg but allow 64.4. The team is shooting 39.4% from the field, including 26.2% from the perimeter, and 70.7% at the line.
The Sun Belt Preseason Coaches’ Poll had the Bobcats predicted to finish 10th in the league. Head Coach Zenarae Antoine is in her 14th season with the program and TXST begins the week with a 6 p.m. game at Georgia Southern on Wednesday.
Up Next
ODU will see the Mountaineers again next week when they travel to Boone for a 6:30 p.m. game on Thursday, Jan. 23. The road trip then sees the Monarchs heading to Atlanta for a 1 p.m. game at Georgia State on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Season Tickets Available Now
Men's and women's basketball season tickets for the 2024-25 season are available now at odusports.com/basketball-season-tickets.
Men's basketball season tickets cost $217 covering all 16 of ODU’s regular season home contests. Women's basketball season tickets cost $115 for adults and include tickets to all 16 of the Monarchs' home games. Discounted season ticket rates are available for ODU faculty and staff, ODU letterwinners, young alumni, band and spirit parents and military. Fans also have the option for mini-plans which consist of six men’s games for $84 and six women’s games for $42. Single-game tickets are also on sale. Call the ODU Ticket Office at 757-683-4444 for more information.