JONESBORO, Ark. – Old Dominion men’s basketball made their free throws down the stretch and secured a narrow 75-71 win over Arkansas State on Wednesday night at First National Bank Arena.
After the win, head coach Mike Jones expressed his satisfaction with the team's effort, stating, "We'll take it. It looks very similar to a lot of other Sun Belt games we've played. We made the plays down the stretch, maybe a couple of times we had not made. I'm very proud of these guys. We’re going to keep fighting, and the fight won us one tonight."
The victory marked just the second win for ODU in the all-time series against Arkansas State, with the Monarchs' last win dating back to November 11, 2006, in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Monarchs (7-15, 4-6 Sun Belt) built a five-point lead at halftime and outlasted a late surge by A-State. The Red Wolves (13-9, 5-5) managed to close the gap in the second half, but Old Dominion's defense held strong, forcing 15 turnovers in the contest.
Old Dominion opened the game with a strong offensive start, taking an early lead with LJ Thomas scoring a jumper in the paint at 19:35. The Monarchs extended their advantage through key plays, including a three-pointer by Jordan Battle at 17:47 to help build a 6-0 start to the game. Notably, this game marked the sixth time Battle has scored 20 or more points in a game this season. A-State attempted to close the gap, but ODU maintained control, highlighted by Robert Davis Jr.'s three-pointer at the 8:34 mark, which kept them ahead, 22-20.
The first half saw ODU efficiently converting from beyond the arc, hitting 5-of-10 three-point attempts. In the final seconds of the first stanza, Battle sunk a half-court shot to end the period, giving the Monarchs a 38–33 lead at halftime.
Battle sparked Old Dominion with an early 3-point play at 19:02 to play in the second half, extending their lead to nine points, 41-33. Caelum Swanton-Rodger then followed with a dunk at 17:26 after an offensive rebound, further establishing Old Dominion's presence in the paint. Despite A-State closing the gap, ODU maintained control with key defensive rebounds. This game was the eighth this season for ODU that has been decided by five points or less, and the Monarchs are now 4-4 in such games.
KC Shaw's consistent scoring, including a jumper with 5:20 left, and crucial free throws in the final seconds, helped Old Dominion fend off a late surge from Arkansas State.
Jones highlighted the crucial free throws and defensive stops that secured the win, noting, "We obviously made some free throws down the stretch, got some stops when we absolutely 100% needed them."
Battle scored 20 points, including five 3-pointers, and added six assists. Shaw finished with 16 points and recorded five assists, while Swanton-Rodger posted 13 points, collected nine rebounds, and recorded two blocks before fouling out. Thomas added 11 points and matched Shaw's five rebounds, while also providing four assists.
As a team, the Monarchs shot 45.2% (28-for-62) from the floor, 34.8% (8-for-23) from beyond the arc, and 78.6% (11-for-14) at the free-throw line. ODU scored more points in the paint, 32-30, and led for over 38 and a half minutes. The game featured just two ties and two lead changes with Old Dominion leading by as many as 10 points.
On adjusting to A-State throwing different defensive looks at the Monarchs, Jones added, "For a team like them, they will try to change their defense almost every single possession down the court. Until they get into a groove that they think they’ve found something that’s going to stop you, and then they’ll play it multiple possessions in a row. Our guys, all credit to our players, man. They really locked in."
Up Next
ODU’s game at Texas State this Saturday, originally scheduled for a 5 p.m. ET opening tip, has been moved up to a 2 p.m. ET start.