Old Dominion (14-13, 6-8 SBC) vs. Arkansas State (17-8, 13-1 SBC) | vs. Georgia Southern (12-15, 4-10 SBC)
Game Info – Thursday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m.
Location – Chartway Arena (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2)
Listen – ESPN Sports Radio 94.1 FM
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women’s basketball has a pair of home games this week as the Monarchs play host to Arkansas State on Thursday and Georgia Southern on Saturday. Both games are scheduled for 2 p.m. starts.
Thursday’s meeting with the Red Wolves was originally scheduled as an 11 a.m. Education Day game, but was moved back due to inclement weather expected in the Hampton Roads area.
Fans can stream both contests on ESPN+ as Chip Tarkenton provides play-by-play and Kim Aston adds color commentary. Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry can be heard on ESPN Sports Radio 94.1 FM and live stats will also be available.
The Series
The Monarchs fell to 1-1 all-time against Arkansas State with a 76-63 loss against the Red Wolves on Feb. 3, 2024 in Jonesboro. A Kaye Clark layup got ODU to within a point at 56-55 with over six minutes to play in the fourth quarter, but A-State pulled away for a 76-63 final. Four Monarchs finished in double figures, led by a then career-high 16 points from Simone Cunningham.
The Monarchs improved to 4-0 all-time against Georgia Southern with a 61-54 win on Feb. 27, 2024 in Norfolk. The Monarchs shot poorly, and trailed most of the way, but rallied to claim a 61-54 victory over GS. En’Dya Bufford led the team in scoring with 20 points and added eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals to her totals.
About ODU
The Monarchs (14-13, 6-8 Sun Belt) took two tough losses last week, losing in overtime at Marshall, 73-70, on Thursday before dropping another tough game against James Madison, 66-53, on Saturday in the second round of the TowneBank Royal Rivalry. ODU is currently eighth in the conference standings and 165th in the latest NET rankings.
Buford is scoring a team-high 12.4 points per game. Through games played on Feb. 15, she is 22nd in the country with 66 steals, ranks second in the Sun Belt with 96 made free throws and 118 free throw attempts, and is third in the league with 107 assists and 2.44 steals per game. Simaru Fields is next in scoring with 11.3 ppg and has made a team-high 54 three-pointers. Kelsey Thompson is scoring 8.7 ppg and Brenda Fontana nets 7.9 ppg. Simone Cunningham (8.0 ppg) is 17th in the country with 4.0 offensive rebounds per game and leads the Monarchs on the glass with 200 boards (7.4 rpg). She’s also made a team-high 22 blocks, followed by Fontana at 15 blocks and Mariah Clayton (6.0 ppg) with 14 blocks.
The Monarchs come into the week scoring 65.5 ppg and hold opponents to 64.1 ppg, the fifth-fewest points allowed in the Sun Belt, for a +1.4-scoring margin. ODU is shooting a combined 36.7% from the field, 29.1% from distance, and 68.1% at the free-throw line. The team ranks fifth nationally with 16.6 offensive rebounds per game and 16th with 42.26 rebounds per game. The Monarchs are third in the league in three-point percentage defense (28.5%) and fourth in defensive rebounds per game (25.6) and rebounding margin (+3.1).
About Arkansas State
The Red Wolves (17-8, 13-1) are currently second in the Sun Belt Conference heading into their matchup against the Monarchs and are 153rd in the NET rankings. They are also currently on a two-game win streak after having their 11-game win streak snapped by Bowling Green on Feb. 8. A-State defeated Southern Miss, 74-53 last Wednesday and beat Texas State, 72-62 on Saturday.
Arkansas State's leading scorer is Zyion Shannon with 11 ppg. The junior guard is coming off of a 16-point performance against the Bobcats. Crislyn Rose (9.3 ppg) is the team's leader in assists with 107 and averages 4.7 a game, which ranks second in the conference. The Red Wolves also have the Sun Belt’s leading shooter from beyond the arc in Kennedie Montue (9.7 ppg), averaging 37.5% from deep with 57 makes from long range. Shaunee Brown (6.8 ppg) isn’t far behind her and has made 50 threes. Wynter Rogers (5.8 ppg) has a team-best 157 rebounds (6.3 rpg), Shannon owns 50 steals, and Nissa Sam-Grant (2.7 ppg) has 33 blocks.
The Red Wolves are amongst the nation's best three-point shooting teams, being first in attempts with 32.3 per game and second in threes made a game with 10.6. They are also fourth in the country with 31.6 bench points per game and rank 28th in Division I and third in the Sun Belt with 14.4 offensive rebounds per game. The team averages 72.1 ppg while allowing 63.8 for a +8.3-scoring margin. A-State is shooting 38.5% from the floor, 32.7% from the perimeter, and 66.8% at the line.
About Georgia Southern
The Eagles (12-15, 4-10) lost a tough game against Coastal Carolina, 67-56 last Wednesday at home and cruised past South Alabama, 95-68 in Statesboro last Saturday. Nicole Gwynn led the team against the Chanticleers with 24 points while Leah Johnson added nine points and nine rebounds off the bench. Nicole Gwynn also led the team against the Jaguars with 28 points. Indya Green grabbed eight boards and was right behind Gwynn with 22 points, and Johnson chipped in 18 points with five rebounds.
The Eagles are currently in 10th place in the Sun Belt standings heading into their road game at Coastal Carolina on Wednesday at 6 p.m. They’re also listed at 210th in the NET rankings.
GS has two players scoring in double figures: Gwynn (12.9 ppg) and Green (11.9 ppg). Green currently ranks third in the conference with 219 rebounds and a field goal percentage of 45.7 on 313 attempted field goals. Gwynn represents the deep threat with 46 triples this season. Next in scoring are McKenna Eddings (8.8 ppg), who has knocked down 35 threes, and Shanti Simmons at 8.0 ppg. Johnson (7.3 ppg) ranks third in the conference for blocks with 34 and fifth in blocks per game with 1.31. Green is the top rebounder with 219 boards (8.1 rpg) and Nakiyah Mays-Prince has grabbed 46 steals.
The Eagles rank third in the conference in rebounding margin at 3.7. They net 66.1 ppg while giving up 65.6 for a +0.5-scoring margin. GS is shooting 40.6% from the field, 32.1% from beyond the arc, and 65.0% at the charity stripe.
Up Next
ODU has its final two regular season games on the road next week. The team will visit Coastal Carolina for a 5 p.m. game on Wednesday, Feb. 26 before playing Georgia Southern on the road at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28.