Feb. 24, 2010
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Game 26
Thursday, February 25th - 7:00 p.m.
Old Dominion University Lady Monarchs (14-11, 12-3 CAA) vs.
College of William & Mary Tribe (11-15, 4-11 CAA)
Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,600) - Norfolk, Va.
TV: None
Radio: ESPN Radio 94.1 FM
Live Stats: GameTracker
Online Audio: Monarch TV
Online Video: Monarch TV
NORFOLK, Va. -- The CAA-leading Lady Monarchs (14-11, 12-3 CAA) will be looking to bounce back after a home loss, as they host the College of William And Mary (11-15, 4-11 CAA) at 7:00 p.m.
Old Dominion will welcome the Tribe to Norfolk for the 53rd matchup in the all-time series, dating back to 1969-70. ODU is currently riding an NCAA-record 49-game winning streak against William & Mary, including a 23-point victory in Williamsburg earlier this season.
With just three games left in the regular season, ODU has been led by junior Jasmine Parker and senior Jessica Canady. Parker is leading the team in scoring during the CAA season, with over 12 points per game and is one of the league's top defensive players, averaging 2.5 steals per game. Meanwhile, Canady is just 21 points shy of 1,000 for her career and has come on strong in the second half of the season, averaging 11.4 ppg and 7.5 rpg in CAA play.
William & Mary is led by sophomore Taysha Pye, averaging 16.5 points per game. Senior Tiffany Benson leads the team in rebounding, while freshman Emily Correal has started all 26 games and is second on the team on the glass.
Today's Game:
All-Time Series - ODU is 50-2 all-time against the Tribe, dating back to the 1969-70 season. With the win earlier this season, ODU improved on its NCAA-record winning streak against William & Mary, now at 49 straight wins. The 23-point win in Williamsburg was the largest margin of victory over the Tribe since 2006, when ODU posted a 52-point victory.
About the Tribe - William & Mary jumped out to an 8-4 start this season, but after their first win in CAA play, the Tribe has gone just 3-11 since, dropping to 11-15 overall and just 4-11 in CAA play. The Tribe has struggled in particular on the road in league player, going 1-6 and scoring more than 60 just once in seven games.
Just one William & Mary player is averaging double figures this season -- sophomore Taysha Pye. Pye is scoring 16.5 points per game and over 18 points per CAA game. She is also among the team leaders on the glass, hauling in 5.4 rebounds, behind only senior Tiffany Benson (8.3) and freshman Emily Correal (7.0).
Benson tied the all-time mark in blocks during the ODU game earlier this season and has since gone on to become the all-time leader in blocked shots. She has 36 this season and 246 career swats.
Correal is one of the top rookie rebounders in the league this year, average 7.0 rebounds per game in her first year, with 182 total rebounds. She is also the only Tribe player to start all 26 games so far for head coach Debbie Taylor.
As a team, the Tribe are averaging just 61.2 points per game this year, on 38.6% shooting. They are averaging over nine steals per game, ranking fourth in the CAA in thefts.
99 Constant Center Wins on the Wall, 99 Constant Center Wins...
Add one now...that's all the Lady Monarchs need to reach 100 victories in their beautiful arena, opened in 2002. The ODU women have averaged over 12 home wins per year at the Ted Constant Convocation Center and will be looking for their eighth such victory this season, today.
Top CAA Attendance
The 5,179 fans attending the Pink Out game vs. James Madison on February 21st was the ninth CAA game with over 5,000 fans since the Ted Constant Convocation Center opened in 2002-03.
Top WBB Attendance in CAA Games At The Constant Center:
1. Drexel 2/21/03 - 6,280
2. VCU 1/24/03 - 5,952
3. William & Mary 3/2/03 - 5,742
4. George Mason 2/23/03 - 5,604
5. Delaware 2/2/03 - 5,352
6. James Madison 2/27/05 - 5,332
7. James Madison 2/21/10 - 5,179
8. Hofstra 1/26/03 - 5,138
9. George Mason 1/25/04 - 5,022
All-Around Parker
Jasmine Parker is having a terrific all-around season for the Lady Monarchs in her third year. She was leading the team in scoring for some time and is still the team leader in points per game for conference games only. But more than the scoring, Parker has been a top notch defender and great facilitator for her teammates this season. The Norfolk native has etched career-highs in assists (93) and steals (63) this year and is among the league leaders in both categories. She also set a new career-high in rebounds in today'the JMU game last time out, with 79 total boards this season. Offensively, she is ODU's top deep threat, hitting 40 three's this season, and ranks second on the team in scoring currently, with 11.1 points per game.
Whew! That Was Close
ODU is excelling in tight ball games this season, going 9-3 in the 12 games decided by single digits this season. ODU had won seven straight close games until their 6-point loss to JMU last time out. Four of those seven came on the road (JMU, Towson, UNCW and GSU) and ODU also defeated Georgia State, Hofstra and Delaware at home by single digits. Old Dominion's closest game this season was a 1-point win at Delaware, powered to victory by Jasmine Parker taking a charge and knocking down a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the game. They were also forced to win on a last second shot at Georgia State, when Tia Lewis converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 0.6 seconds remaining for the two-point win.
CAA Dominance at Home
Since Old Dominion joined the CAA in 1992, the Lady Monarchs have only lost five games in Norfolk. The most recent was last Sunday as JMU posted a six-point win over the Lady Monarchs. Earlier, VCU had a 19-point win over the Lady Monarchs, the largest margin of defeat ODU has suffered in a home conference game. Old Dominion is now 151-5 in regular season conference games at home since joining the CAA. Including the eight CAA Tournaments held in Norfolk, Old Dominion has a 174-5 overall record against CAA opponents.
CAA Home Losses
Feb. 19, 1992RichmondL, 70-74
Jan. 9, 2005DelawareL, 70-73
Jan. 25, 2009James MadisonL, 67-72
Feb. 7, 2010VCUL, 56-75
Feb. 21, 2010James MadisonL, 59-65