Old Dominion (14-9, 6-5 SBC) at Troy (14-9, 8-3 SBC) | vs. Toledo (17-4, 9-0 MAC)
Game Info – Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. | Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.
Location – Trojan Arena (Troy, Ala.) | Chartway Arena (Norfolk, Va.)
Watch – ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2)
Listen – Fox Sports Radio 1310 AM
Social Media – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women's basketball goes to Troy on Wednesday night and plays again at home this Saturday in a second round MAC-Sun Belt Challenge game against Toledo. Tipoff against the Trojans is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST and the Saturday game against the Rockets is set for a 2 p.m. start.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+, with Chip Tarkenton and Kim Aston calling Saturday’s game while Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry will cover both contests on Fox Sports Radio 1310 AM. Live stats will also be available.
The Series
The Monarchs hold a 2-0 all-time lead against the Trojans with the second matchup coming last season on Feb. 7, a game that the Monarchs squeezed by with a 63-59 win at Chartway Arena. Jordan McLaughlin scored the final seven points of that game and led the Monarchs with 21 points. ODU's two wins against Troy are by a combined seven points with the only other meeting dating back to March 3, 2023 in the Quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Championship, a game the Monarchs won 86-83.
ODU also leads Toledo with their lone matchup dating back to March 3, 1996 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Monarchs entered the tournament as the CAA Champion and a No. 2 seed while the Rockets earned the Mid-American’s automatic bid and No. 10 seed. Played in Norfolk, the game saw the Monarchs advance with a 72-66 victory. Esther Benjamin recorded a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, Clarisse Machanguana had 16 points with eight boards, Ticha Penicheiro finished with 15 points and 10 assists, and Mery Andrade contributed 12 points.
About ODU
The Monarchs (14-9, 6-5 Sun Belt) dropped their two home games last week, losing a nail biter in a rematch against Georgia State, 66-62, on Wednesday before running into James Madison, who is currently first in the Sun Belt, on Saturday with a 85-62 loss. ODU is currently sixth in the conference standings and 155th in the NET rankings.
En’Dya Buford is scoring a team-high 12.2 points per game. Through games played on Feb. 1, she ranked 22nd in the country with 58 steals and 39th with 2.52 steals per game and she is the conference leader in both categories. She is second in the Sun Belt with 89 made free throws and 109 free throw attempts, and is fourth in the league in free throw shooting at 81.7% and assists with 91. Simaru Fields is next in scoring with 10.5 ppg and has made 39 three-pointers to lead ODU from the perimeter, followed by Kelsey Thompson who is scoring 9.0 ppg. Simone Cunningham (7.7 ppg) is 20th in the country with 4.0 offensive rebounds per game and has pulled down 164 rebounds (7.1 rpg) this season. She’s made a team-high 18 blocks, Mariah Clayton (6.0 ppg) owns 14 blocks and Brenda Fontana (7.3 ppg) enters the week with 11 blocks.
The Monarchs are averaging 65.8 ppg, allow the third-fewest points in the Sun Belt (63.1 ppg), and own a +2.7-scoring margin. The team is shooting 37.1% from the field, including 28.7% from deep, and 68.4% at the free-throw line. ODU is fifth in the nation with 17.0 offensive rebounds per game and 12th in rebounds per game at 42.96. The Monarchs are currently third in the SBC in free throw attempts per game (19.57), three-point percentage defense (27.9%), and rebounding margin (+5.0).
About Troy
The Trojans (14-9, 8-3 Sun Belt) are currently undefeated (6-0) at home this season and split their two league games last week. After falling 91-77 at Arkansas State last Thursday, they responded with a 70-45 win at Southern Miss on Saturday. Briana Peguero led the way with 13 points and Ashley Baez followed with 11 points. Brianna Jackson, the former Monarch, also had 10 points and extended her double-digit scoring streak to five games. Troy is third in the conference standings and 99th in the NET rankings.
Zay Dyer and Baez are the team’s leading scorers with 12.6 and 11.5 ppg, respectively. Dyer is fifth in Division I with 245 rebounds, 11th with 11 double-doubles, 16th with 10.7 rebounds per game, and 29th in both offensive rebounds per game (3.8) and defensive rebounds per game (6.8). Troy has several deep threats, beginning with Emani Jenkins (6.9 ppg) with 40 makes from distance. Baez has made 34 threes and Peguero (9.4 ppg) is right behind her with 33. Shaulana Wagner is third in scoring with 9.8 ppg, is fifth nationally with one triple double, and is second in the league with 93 assists. On defense, Jackson ranks second in the SBC with 33 blocks and 1.43 blocks per game.
The Trojans net 77.6 ppg against 70.7 points allowed for a +7.0-scoring margin. Troy is the national leader in rebounds per game (50.0) and defensive rebounds per game (33.4), ranks fifth in rebounding margin (+11.6), seventh in offensive rebounds per game (16.6), 19th in field goal percentage defense (36.2%), 23rd in bench points per game (26.7), and 32nd in scoring offense. The team is shooting 41.4% from the floor, 30.6% from long range, and 72.8% at the line.
About Toledo
The Rockets (15-5, 7-3) is on a three-game win streak and is coming off a 77-49 win at Eastern Michigan last Saturday. Sammi Mikonowicz scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Kendall Carruthers had 14 points, and Khera Goss, Jessica Cook and Cadence Dykstra supplied 10 points each. The team starts its week with an 11 a.m. game at Buffalo on Wednesday, is fourth in the MAC standings, and 135th in the NET rankings.
Mikonowicz (13.0 ppg), Goss (11.9 ppg), and Carruthers (11.4 ppg) pace the Rockets’ offense. All three can shoot the ball from deep: Goss has made 27 triples, followed by Carruthers with 23 and Mikonowicz at 21. Carruthers ranks 27th nationally with an 88.1% success rate at the charity stripe. Mikonowicz leads the team on the glass with 116 boards (5.8 rpg) and Carruthers has dished out 53 assists. On defense, seven different players have double-digit steals and Faith Fedd-Robinson (5.6 ppg) has made a team-high 15 blocks.
Toledo is scoring 70.6 points while holding opponents to 63.4 points for a +7.2-scoring margin. The Rockets shoot 25.3% from the field, 32.0% from beyond the arc, and 71.9% at the line. The team leads the MAC with 24.6 bench points per game, is second in the conference with 12.5 offensive rebounds per game, and third in free throws per game (13.55), free throw attempts per game (18.85), rebounds per game (38.30), and rebounding margin (+7.2).
Up Next
ODU will be on the road next week with a 6 p.m. game at Marshall on Thursday, Feb. 13 followed by a 2 p.m. meeting with James Madison on Saturday, Feb. 15.