ODU Women's Basketball Claims Fifth Victory in a Row, Trouncing NC Central, 85-48
Monarchs now prepare for next week's
By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to five games Sunday as the Monarchs dominated North Carolina Central, 85-48, at Chartway Arena.
ODU (5-1) has won five in a row since a 58-52 loss at UMass on the first game of the season. And while NC Central, at 1-5, does not have a strong record, the Eagles were coming off a three-point loss at Wake Forest.
ODU combined strong shooting with a physical defense and broke the game open early. ODU made 27 of 63 shots (43%) but especially shot well beyond the arc, making nine of 24 three-pointers (38%)
En’Dya Buford led ODU with 12 points and four assists and made four of five three-pointers.
ODU had 45 points off the bench, blocked 10 NC Central shots and forced the Eagles to shoot poorly – they made just 14 of 66 shots (21%). Riley Stack, the transfer from Coastal Carolina, tied a career high with six blocked shots.
Kelsey Thompson and Simaru Fields each tallied 11 points and Fields added six rebounds.
Nakiyah Allen added nine points, a career high for her at ODU, while Nisaa Muhammad and Navaeh Scott added eight apiece.
Head Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones said playing tough defense and getting out in transition were points of emphasis heading into this game.
"NC Central is so aggressive attacking the rim," she said. "They just want to put their heads down and go.
'We wanted to fill those gaps so that we could force them to pass the ball. That allowed our defense to be our best offense."
She especially praised Muhammad for playing one of her better games -- her eight points was a career high.
"Coach has been telling me to become more aggressive, so that's what I did," Muhammad said. “I felt comfortable out there.
"As a team, I feel like we’re coming together. We’ve been playing as one and collaborating. I feel really good about how we’re playing now.”
The Monarchs took command early. Buford opened the game with a three-point shot, Scott made a step-back jump shot and Simone Cunningham added two fast-break layups and the Monarchs led, 11-3, just three minutes into the first quarter.
Muhammad made two foul shots with seven seconds left in the first quarter to give ODU a 23-6 lead.
Scott made two free throws with five seconds left in the second quarter to make it 40-20 at halftime.
ODU ended any NC Central hopes of a comeback with an 8-0 run to start the third quarter, capped by a Burford three-point shot.
The Monarchs now prepare for the most challenging part of their early schedule, beginning next week in the Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Challenge in Frisco, Texas. The Monarchs take on Texas Tech on Tuesday and Oregon on Thanksgiving Day.
Texas Tech (7-0) and Oregon (5-0 heading into Sunday night’s game against Utah State) are the first of at least three Power 4 teams the Monarchs take on this season.
Milton-Jones said Sunday's game was good preparation for Texas Tech, especially the way the Monarchs played defense and kept things up-tempo.
"These are the things we’re looking for when we’re going up against a team like Texas Tech and then Oregon," she said. "They both have great size all over the floor. If we can build walls and dictate where their shots come from, and get kills and go on defensive runs, we have a great opportunity to win games."
Sunday’s game began with a video tribute and a moment of silence for Dr. Jim Jarrett, ODU's longtime director or athletics who passed away two weeks ago. Jarrett was ODU’s athletics director for 40 years, from 1970 until his retirement in 2010.
Jarrett was among the first athletics directors in the nation to put significant resources into women’s sports that led ODU to claim nine national championships in field hockey and three in women's basketball.
Jarrett’s celebration of life will be Thursday, Dec. 4 at 11 a.m. in the Big Blue Room of Chartway Arena.
After returning from the tournament in Frisco, ODU then hosts three games in a row – Dec. 1 against Delaware State, Dec. 7 against Howard and then on Dec. 17 against Troy in the Monarchs’ Sun Belt Conference opener. The Troy game is a doubleheader with the men’s team, which hosts James Madison.
The Monarchs conclude the 2025 part of their season with two games at the Cherokee Invitational on Dec. 21-22. The Monarchs take on Ole Miss on Sunday, Dec. 21, and then take on either Michigan State or Indiana State on Monday, Dec. 22