JONESBORO, Ark. - Old Dominion women’s basketball’s two-game win streak was snapped by Arkansas State, 84-55 on Wednesday afternoon at First National Bank Arena.
“Tough loss, we never found our footing within the game,” said ODU head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones. “We turned the ball over at a very high rate within consecutive possessions. This is something you can’t do against a very aggressive pressing team. We shot the ball poorly today from the three-point line in the first three quarters. Too many mistakes against the reigning champs.”
The Monarchs’ (12-8, 4-4 SBC) Simaru Fields got on the board first 20 seconds after the opening tip after she was fouled by A-State’s (17-4, 8-1 SBC) Zyion Shannon. Shannon would level the score a minute later on a second-chance driving layup and the Monarchs would not regain the lead for the rest of the game. Crislyn Rose scored at the 8:01 mark to go up by two, a pair of made free throws by Marlie Dickenson put the Red Wolves up by four, and a 50% split at the free throw line by Yves Cox capped off a 5-0 run in the first four minutes of action. A-State’s Mimi McCollister hit a turnaround jumper in the paint for the home team’s final basket of the quarter. ODU’s Laila Walker went 1-for-2 at the line with 39 seconds left for the final points of the quarter, 17-11.
Fields opened the second quarter with a made jumper 17 seconds in to cut ODU’s deficit to four. Wynter Rogers brought the Red Wolves lead back to six a minute later with a second-chance layup. Rose found the basket after a missed layup by Mariah Clayton and a jumper brought the A-State lead to eight. A-State then rattled off a 9-2 run over the next three minutes and extended their lead to 13, 28-15 with 5:42 remaining. The Red Wolves went into the halftime break up by 18, 43-25. A-State had its highest scoring quarter of the afternoon in the second, outscoring ODU, 26-14.
Fields opened the third quarter with a made second-chance three-pointer with an assist going to Simone Cunningham 54 seconds into the quarter. A-State’s Bella Weary gave the Red Wolves a 20-point lead with a made jumper in the paint at 7:18. The home team grew its lead to 28 points with 10 seconds left in the quarter to go into the final stanza up, 65-37.
ODU went on a quick, 5-0 run to open the fourth quarter with a made jumper by Fields and a three-pointer by Buford, 65-42. Weary answered with a three of her own the next time down the court and McCollister hit a three assisted by D’arrah Allen. Buford scored 12 points in the quarter and capped it off with a made three with seven seconds left to cut Red Wolves’ lead to 29 as ODU fell, 84-55 in enemy territory.
Old Dominion shot 25% from the field on 16-for-64 shooting and was 18.2% from behind the arc on 4-for-22 shooting from deep. At the free throw line ODU shot 70.4%, going 19-for-27. The Silver and Blue were out rebounded by a +10-rebounding margin by the Red Wolves (49-to-39). Old Dominion forced 26 A-State turnovers but had 29 turnovers as a team. The Monarchs scored 17 bench points, 18 in the paint, 17 off opponent turnovers, and had 18 fastbreak points.
UP NEXT:
ODU heads to San Marcos, Texas for a meeting with the Texas State Bobcats on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 3 p.m.