MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Old Dominion women’s basketball went on the road to a school that the program has never played before, add in 4,000 screaming kids at McGuirk Arena, and an 11 a.m. tipoff to boot, as the Monarchs held their nerve to come back to win late against Central Michigan, 62-58 on Monday afternoon.
The game marked the first round of this season's MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. ODU will host a MAC opponent on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 2 p.m.
Old Dominion Head Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones earned her 118th career win at ODU and her 150th win of her career with the victory at Central Michigan.
"Tonight was a display of what a gutsy performance looks like,” said Milton-Jones. "Super proud of how we weathered the adversity in front of us and came away with a big-time win that will impact us positively as we navigate this season. From the staff to my players, I am extremely grateful to have their support as I lead them. Our motto is to play hard and work harder! Tonight, we did just that. And the cherry on top is walking away with career win 150!"
ODU (1-0) took the lead, 53-52 from a Shadasia Brackens tip-in layup with 4:24 left to play in the fourth quarter and never surrendered it back to the Chippewas. Thirty seconds later, Dalanna Carter buried a deep ball from the right wing to go up by two possessions, 56-52. Brackens made a pair of free throws and iced the game with a mid-ranged shot from the elbow to give Old Dominion a 62-58 win in enemy territory. Brackens finished the game with her first double-double as a member of Monarch Nation. She scored 12 points and secured 10 rebounds.
Central Michigan (0-1) jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first 3:30, CMU’s Summer Davis fired from deep and found the bottom of the net to extend the Chippewas' lead to five points. ODU’s Mia Davis came down the floor on the next possession and got herself to the cup and finished, 9-6. CMU’s Riley Smith responded with a long ball of her own to stretch the home team’s lead back to six. Neveah Williams then netted a jumper at the 4:06 mark to go up by nine, 17-8. ODU scored nine points and CMU scored eight points more by the time the first quarter’s buzzer went off with the Silver and Blue down by eight, 25-17.
The Monarchs’ defense held Central Michigan to five points in the second quarter and started cutting into the Chippewas lead. Carter finished in the lane for two at 8:28, Vance scored on the fast break at 5:41, CMU’s Davis responded with a three-pointer at 5:31, and ODU would score the next six baskets while holding the Chippewas to one more field goal for the first half, though CMU held a 30-27 lead at the break.
The Silver and Blue grabbed its first lead of the night with 6:15 left in the third quarter. Davis knocked down a corner three to give ODU a 34-32 lead. CMU’s Williams answered back with a mid-range shot and CMU’s Davis scored 20 seconds between the two shots to retake the lead, 36-34. Central Michigan stretched its lead to seven points after Riley Smith went 1-for-2 at the free throw line. Vance knocked down a jumper, Carter netted a long ball, and Brackens made a three-pointer to trim ODU’s deficit to just three points. Vance came down the court with 1:30 left in the third and buried a fast break three pointer with no one around her. Vance hit another long ball at the 36 second mark and Brackens went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe to give ODU a 49-45 advantage.
In the fourth quarter, both sides scored 13 points each while ODU went 5-for-15 from the field and held the Chippewas to 4-for-20 shooting on the night. The Monarchs defense held CMU to a 20% field goal percentage in the quarter and held the lead for 6:57 of the 10 minute quarter. Indya Davis got the ball rolling for Central Michigan after going perfect from the line to cut ODU’s lead to two. CMU’s Summer Davis gave the home team a one-point lead at the 8:41 mark. Newcomer Jaida McDonald got on the board again with 7:11 remaining to make a good jumper. ODU took advantage with 3:52 after Carter drained a three from the wing and a pair of Brackens free throws.
Old Dominion had 52 of its 62 points came from four players. Davis and Vance tied for a team high 15 points followed by Brackens' 12 and Carter's 10 points on Monday afternoon. Riley Stack scored two points and grabbed three rebounds while Jaida McDonald and Delaney Snyder both finished with four points.
Old Dominion shot 34.4% from the field (22-for-64), went 25.9% from behind the arc (7-for-27), and made 68.8% of their free throws (11-for-16). ODU outrebounded CMU, 54-46, scored eight bench points, made seven steals, and scored 14 second chance points.
UP NEXT:
Old Dominion has back-to-back home games against Virginia State on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. and Tennessee State on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m.