Old Dominion Drop Sun Belt Conference Game vs Arkansas State, 78-59

NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion had to shoot well and tap the brakes on Arkansas State’s fast break in order to upset the Red Wolves Thursday night, and alas for ODU, the Monarchs did neither.

The Sun Belt Conference preseason favorite, Arkansas State lived up to its preseason billing by downing the Monarchs, 78-59, in ODU’s first Sun Belt home game of the season at Chartway Arena.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for ODU (5-9 overall, 1-1 Sun Belt). Arkansas State (11-3, 2-0), which won by 13 points earlier this season at then No. 15 Memphis, has won its last six.  

The game began with promise for ODU. The Monarchs erased an early 14-point deficit and trailed by just three, 32-29, at the half.

The momentum continued into the early minutes of the second half, as Caelum Swanton-Rodger made a layup, then blocked two shots on the next Arkansas State possession.

Robert Davis Jr. was fouled on a three-point shot and made three free throws to tie the score at 34-all three minutes into the half.

But things thing fell apart for ODU. Arkansas State went on a 20-6 run, capped by a three-point shot by Terrance Ford Jr., that gave the Red Wolves a 54-40 lead with 11:12 left. 

The Monarchs failed to get the lead into single digits the rest of the way.

Sean Durugordon, the 6-foot-6 transfer from Siena, led the Monarchs with 21 points and hauled down eight rebounds. Jaden Johnson continued what has been a sterling freshman season so far by scoring a career-high 18 points.

Arkansas State’s defense concentrated on shutting down Davis, who scored 32 points in ODU’s five-point Sun Belt victory at Louisiana-Monroe nearly two weeks ago, and the Red Wolves succeeded, holding him to six.

The Monarchs made just 27 percent of all shots (17/64) and 17% on three-pointers (4/24).

Arkansas State may be the Sun Belt's deepest team and that depth showed as the Red Wolves' bench outscored ODU, 40-8. 

First-year ODU Head Coach Mike Jones said his team lacked discipline, especially in the second half, on both sides of the floor.

"They already heard it from me tonight and they're going to hear it from me again, we have to be more disciplined," he said.

"We picked the wrong night against the wrong team to not shoot the ball well. We played poorly in all facets of the game. We didn't get to the rim. We didn't get to the free throw line."

"That's not who we are," he added. "We're a better team than that."

Arkansas State early-on appeared to be feeling the effect of a long layoff as the Red Wolves’ last game came 12 days earlier, a 97-67 victory over Coastal Carolina on Jan. 21.

The Red Wolves missed their first eight shots and didn’t draw any net until almost seven minutes into the game.

"We missed an opportunity there," Jones said. "We should have had 15 points."

"If they looked up and saw they were in a little deeper of a hole, that changes the game. That changes the way they look at things."

Terrance Ford Jr. broke the ice for the Red Wolves on a layup with 13:15 in the half which began a 19-2 Arkansas State run capped by Rashaud Marshall’s layup five minutes later that gave the Red Wolves a 19-8 lead.

It was 24-10 with six minutes left when ODU retook momentum from Arkansas State by closing out the half with a 19-8 run.

The Monarchs next play this Saturday at 4 p.m. when they host Southern Miss at Chartway Arena.

It will be a quick turnaround for Johnson, who played 36 minutes, and Davis, who played 37.

"Everyone has to get their rest and then lock in on Southern Miss so that we can get the win," Johnson said.

"We have to turn the page and quickly," Jones added. "If you didn't make your free throws tonight, I expect to see you in the gym tomorrow morning shooting free throws.

"We need to put this one behind us."