Men's Basketball Defeats Costa Rican National Team, 90-68

GRECIA, Costa Rica – Old Dominion men’s basketball capped off its week in Costa Rica with a 90-68 win over the Costa Rica national team on Saturday night at the Polideportivo Grecia sports complex.

“Unbelievable effort! We had a great start to today’s game. That was definitely the most talented of the three teams we played and we jumped on them pretty good, which is a great sign for us, and we kept rolling with a great first half,” said ODU Head Coach Mike Jones.

The Monarchs got out to a quick start thanks to a 12-0 run to open the game. That helped the team to a 27-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. KC Shaw and Robert Davis Jr. both hit threes in front of the ODU bench, and LJ Thomas found Shaw for an alley-oop that got the bench off its feet. Old Dominion held a 58-31 lead at halftime.

Costa Rica started to gain some momentum in the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Monarchs as they led 73-54 heading into the final 10 minutes. Zacch Wiggins and Jordan Battle combined to hit a pair of corner threes down the stretch and ODU was able to get deeper into its bench.

Battle finished with 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor. The senior knocked five three-pointers on seven attempts and also shot 3-for-4 at the free-throw line. The Norfolk native grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists, and added one steal to his final line.

Caelum Swanton-Rodger was next with 15 points after going 7-for-8 from the field. The senior from Calgary, Alberta, Canada gathered two boards with one assist on the night. Shaw and Wiggins finished with 11 points each and Scottie Hubbard contributed nine points.

As a team, the Monarchs shot 40.8% from the field, 35.6% from distance, and 61.1% at the line. ODU ended up with 43 rebounds, including 13 on offense, tallied nine steals, and recorded two blocks.

“I’m so happy with the growth we had this week, so happy of us taking advantage of the opportunities we had on the court and off the court to come closer together,” added Jones.

“We had a great game,” said Battle following the victory. “The energy was contagious. The team shot the ball well today, we defended very well, and we’re about to get back on the road and head back to Norfolk and get back to work.”

“We just got our third dub, the boys handled business,” added Swanton-Rodger. “We had a great time out here in Costa Rica and we appreciate you all so much. Thank you!”

After the game, Coach Jones announced that the team’s Monarch of the summer award would go to team manager Sam Copeland, who was swarmed by the players and hoisted up in the air. Copeland was then presented with a championship belt and the team took a group photo with their family members and donors who made the trip this week.

“I’m so happy with Sam Copeland being named our Monarch of the summer. A huge shoutout to him and all of our managers for all of the work that they do,” said Jones.

“Just finished 3-0,” Copeland said afterwards. “A lot of team bonding, a lot of team building. It’s been a great trip. We got to see a lot of Costa Rican culture and grow as a group. I’m happy and take pride in being named Monarch of the summer. I want to thank Coach Jones and his staff for bringing me along and let’s have a great year!”

Friday was a travel day for the team as ODU checked out of its hotel in Playa Herradura and made the two-hour drive back to San José. That evening, the Monarchs drove up into the mountains to have dinner at Mirador Tiquicia. Although there was some fog, the restaurant offered a great view of the city below.

After everyone finished eating, the group watched a performance of traditional Costa Rican dancing. Each song conveyed a story that highlighted different aspects of the culture, both its roots on the Pacific side of the country as well as influences from the Caribbean. Several players were also invited on stage to dance along with the performers.

On Saturday morning, the team made its way downtown for a walking tour of the central market. The tour also included a stop at the Metropolitan Cathedral of San José and finished at the National Museum of Costa Rica.   

“This was truly a great trip for us to lay the foundation for what will be a great 2025-26 season. Now it’s time to get home, we pray for safe travels, and get ready for a great fall of work. We have a scrimmage against Hampton University at Chartway Arena on October 26 and then our first home game is on November 6. We’re looking forward to seeing all of Monarch Nation out there to support us this year. Trust me, you are going to love this team. We’re going to work as hard as we ever have, but we’re ready to go and have a special season. With you by our side, we know we can do that.”