Old Dominion (13-6, 5-2 SBC) at App State (9-8, 5-2 SBC) | at Georgia State (8-10, 2-5 SBC)
Game Info – Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m. | Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m.
Location – Holmes Convocation Center (Boone, N.C.) | GSU Convocation Center (Atlanta, Ga.)
Watch – ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2)
Listen – ESPN Sports Radio 91.1
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women's basketball has a couple of road games this week as the Monarchs play at App State on Thursday night and at Georgia State on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff against the Mountaineers is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the second game against the Panthers is set for a 1 p.m. start.
Fans will be able to watch both games on ESPN+. Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry will cover both games on ESPN Sports Radio 94.1 and live stats will also be available.
The Series
ODU moved to 6-1 in the all-time series with a 78-71 victory over App State on Jan. 15 in Norfolk. Down 35-29 at halftime, the Monarchs rallied in the second half thanks to a 29-point third quarter, the team’s most productive 10 minutes of play this season. ODU had a balanced offense in the win, led by a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double from Simone Cunningham. En’Dya Buford and Kelsey Thompson finished with 13 points each, Simaru Fields was right behind them with 12 points, and Mariah Clayton contributed 11 points.
The Monarchs own a 20-1 lead when squaring off with the Panthers and have won 13 in a row against GSU. ODU hosted GSU on Jan. 27 last season in what marked Alumni Day for the program. The visitors made a late push, but Buford went 10-for-10 at the line in the final 2:15 to help close out a 73-65 victory. She finished the game with 18 points, Jordan McLaughlin had 12, and Kaye Clark 10. On Feb. 24 in Atlanta, Buford set a new career high 25 points as the Monarchs earned a 67-51 road win. She added nine rebounds, three assists and three steals to her totals. McLaughlin contributed 12 points with three steals and Cunningham tallied 10 boards and eight points.
About ODU
The Monarchs (13-6, 5-2 Sun Belt) split their two home games last week, winning 78-71 over App State on Wednesday before taking a tough 65-60 loss against Texas State on Saturday. ODU and App State are currently tied for fourth in the conference standings.
En’Dya Buford is scoring a team-high 12.5 points per game. As of Jan. 19, she ranks 24th in the country with 49 steals, leads the Sun Belt with 80 made free throws, is second in the league in free throw attempts (100) and steals per game (2.58), and is third in assists (76). Simaru Fields is next in scoring with 9.4 ppg and has made 28 three-pointers to lead ODU from the perimeter, and Kelsey Thompson is scoring 9.1 ppg. Simone Cunningham (7.6 ppg) has pulled down 124 rebounds (6.5 rpg) and is 26th in Division I with 3.8 offensive rebounds per game. The Pleasant Grove, Alabama native has also made a team-high 17 blocks, followed by Mariah Clayton (6.3 ppg) with 12 blocks and Brenda Fontana (7.7 ppg) with 10 blocks.
Old Dominion is 140th in the NET rankings and is receiving votes in this week’s CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll. The Monarchs score 66.6 ppg and allow the second-fewest points in the Sun Belt (61.4 ppg) for a +5.2-scoring margin. The team is shooting 37.4% from the field, 28.8% from distance, and 68.3% at the free-throw line. ODU is fifth in the nation with 17.2 offensive rebounds per game, 12th with 43.42 rebounds per game, and 26th in three-point percentage defense (26.1). The Monarchs are second in the conference in free three attempts per game (19.84) and third in the SBC in field goal percentage defense (37.9), free throws made per game (13.68) and rebound margin (+4.5).
About App State
The Mountaineers (9-8, 5-2) also split their pair of conference games last week, coming up short 78-71 against Old Dominion on Wednesday before topping Marshall, 68-64 on Saturday. App State held a six point, 35-29 lead after the first half, but saw that completely erased as the Monarchs went on a huge run in the third quarter with 29 points. In the win at Marshall, Zada Porter led the team in scoring with 15 points, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc, and added four rebounds, five assists, and four steals to her totals. Elena Pericic added 14 points with seven rebounds while Emily Carver contributed 10 points.
App State’s offense is led by Porter with 10.6 ppg, Carver is second at 10.2 ppg, Mara Neira averages 8.2 ppg, and Pericic nets 8.0 ppg. Neira has made 35 threes so far this season, Pericic is up to 22 and Carver is close behind her with 21. Pericic leads the team on the glass with 82 boards and 4.8 rpg. Neira has grabbed 30 steals while Rylan Moffitt (6.6 ppg) owns 14 blocks and Pericic is up to nine.
Through games played on Jan. 21, the team is listed 188th in the NET rankings. App State nets 69.0 ppg game against 67.5 points allowed for a +1.5-scoring margin. The Mountaineers are ranked second in the Sun Belt with a 43.1% field goal percentage, rank second with 34.1% from long range, and shoot 66.0% at the stripe. App State ranks 15th in the country with 28.8 bench points per contest, leads the SBC with 16.6 assists per game, and is fourth in the conference with 27.1 defensive rebounds per game and 7.5 threes per game.
About Georgia State
The Panthers (8-10, 2-5) fell 83-68 to Coastal Carolina last Thursday and then defeated Georgia Southern 88-83 on Saturday after three overtimes. Crystal Henderson recorded 21 points with seven assists and four rebounds to help lead GSU past the Eagles. Mikyla Tolivert scored 20 points with eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks and four steals, Kaleigh Addie had 19 points, and Mya Williams finished with 11 points and five boards.
Georgia State’s offense is paced by Tolivert with 13.4 ppg, Addies’s 10.8 ppg, and Henderson’s 10.3 ppg. Mya Williams and Addie are the primary threats from distance with 29 and 26 threes, respectively. Henderson leads the Sun Belt with 34.32 minute per game and 2.61 steals per game. She’s also second in the league in assists (77), assist/turnover ratio (1.71), and steals (47). Patience Williams (4.7 ppg) leads the teams in rebounds with 99 (5.5 rpg). Mahogany Matthews (7.8 ppg) ranks seventh in the country with 2.56 blocks per game and eighth with 46 blocks.
GSU is 232nd in the NET rankings and is 32nd nationally in steals per game (11.2). The Panthers own a -2.9-scoring margin as they average 66.3 ppg but allow 69.2. The team is shooting 38.7% from the field, including 31.2% from the perimeter, and 71.8% at the line.
Head Coach Gene Hill is in his seventh season with the program. GSU begins the week with a 6:30 p.m. game at home against Coastal Carolina on Wednesday. The Panthers were picked eighth in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches’ Poll with Henderson and Tolivert both named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team.
Up Next
ODU returns to Norfolk to host the Panthers next Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m. The Monarchs then has its Royal Rivalry game against James Madison on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m.