ODU Women's Basketball Falls to Toledo in Final Seconds, 56-52
By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – Coaches often say that there is no such thing as a moral victory, but the Old Dominion women’s basketball team’s 56-52 loss to Toledo Saturday at Chartway Arena came awfully close.
The Monarchs got back to the gritty, rough-and-tumble defense that got them off to a quick start this season. Alas for the Monarchs, they were undone by their inability to score as they made just 19 of 66 shots (28.8 percent).
The loss was the sixth in the last seven games for ODU (14-11), which uncharacteristically gave up more than 80 points in its last two losses.
Toledo (17-5), from the Mid-American Conference, is one of the better teams on ODU’s schedule. The Rockets won for the ninth time in their last 11 games and advanced their non-conference record to 9-2.
Their only non-conference losses came at Iowa and Maryland.
“The iron was unkind for us in certain moments,” said DeLisha Milton-Jones, ODU’s head coach. “But even so, I still think we had opportunities to win.”
“Losing sucks and it hurts and it’s frustrating,” she added. “But losers will allow the losses to separate themselves from their teammates and we’re not that team.”
This game, like most of the recent games for ODU, came down to the final seconds.
Brenda Fontana, the senior from Buenos Aires, Argentina, made a three-point shot to pull ODU within two, 54-52, with 41 seconds left.
Toledo then worked the clock and Kendall Carruthers missed a running jump shot with 12 seconds left. However, there was a late whistle and En’Dya Buford was called for a foul.
Carruthers made one of two to build the lead to three.
Milton-Jones then set up a play designed to get Simaru Fields open for a three-point shot. The play worked, but as happened so often Saturday for ODU, the shot missed with five seconds left.
ODU made just one of six shots in the final two minutes.
Sammi Mikonowicz was fouled with two seconds left and made one of two free throws to seal the victory for Toledo.
Buford led ODU with 14 points while Fontana and Fields added 11 apiece.
ODU outscored the Rockets 12-2 on second-chance points, but was outrebounded, 46-32. Toledo’s bench outscored ODU’s bench, 24-5.
All but one of ODU's six most recent losses came down to the final minutes. Milton-Jones said she still believes her team will rally and be competitive in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Pensacola, Florida.
“We are a selfless team made up of great talent,” she said. “I still have a tremendous amount of faith and believe that we are still a championship level team.
“Some teams hit their lulls early. We’re hitting ours in the middle but we’re still okay. I am encouraged although I am not satisfied with the results.”
The game was ODU’s annual Pink Out Game which supports the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Yow was a highly successful NC State coach who died of breast cancer.
Fans, cheerleaders and even Big Blue wore pink shirts provided by ODU.
At halftime, ODU paid homage to Nikki McCray-Penson, who preceded Milton-Jones as the Monarchs' head coach. They were Olympic teammates and close friends.
McCray-Penson passed away in July of 2023.
McCray's 2019-2020 team was the best ODU had in many years. The Monarchs were 24-6 and headed toward a likely NCAA Tournament berth when the season was abruptly canceled just before the Conference USA Tournament because of the pandemic.
“We were both rookies in the USA Basketball umbrella,” Milton-Jones said. “We grew up together.
“As a player she never gave up and in her battle against cancer, she never gave up. She grew so much in her Christian faith and even in the worst part of her fight, she was still giving to everyone else.
“She fought the good fight until the very end. I'm so proud of my sister for how she battled and I miss her so much."