The Mace & Crown

It was only fitting that the first three baskets of the Lady Monarchs’ final home game were made by the seniors who were being honored at the Ted Constant Convocation center. The 8-4 run to start the game was exactly the start that Head Coach Wendy Larry was looking for in pursuit of the team’s 20^th win this season. However, behind Elena Delle Donne’s 9 first half points the Blue Hens managed the narrow the lead and eventually string together a 13-2 run which helped the Blue Hens jump out to a lead as large as seven points. Tia Lewis’s ten point effort in the first half helped the Lady Monarchs find their way out of the first half slump. After a string of well coordinated fast breaks, the Lady Monarchs closed the half with a 10-2 run and regained the lead heading into the half 34-30.

By: Donnel Coley

Cleveland State University head basketball coach Gary Waters, praised ODU after losing to them in Sunday’s ESPN bracketbuster game.  “They’re good enough to be in the NCAA [tournament]. They should feel good going into the tournament,” said Waters.

Waters brings up a great topic, especially as we approach the most important month in college basketball.  With an impressive 74-63 victory, ODU looks to have expanded on a resume that is fit to make the field of the NCAA tournament.  But more importantly is the message that the Monarchs sent.

The Monarchs went up against one of the most prolific scorers in the nation in Cleveland State’s Norris Cole.  Cole came out the locker room scorching scoring, 24 of his game-high 35 points in the first half.  Most coaches would find that to be the time to panic defensively. But ODU Head Coach, Blaine Taylor, lives for coaching defense.  So much so that he joked about holding Cole to 11 points in the second half.

But seriously, looking at the second half you could tell the team had been instructed at halftime.    They started off the game in man-to-man defense.  But as Coach Waters put it, “they knew that they couldn’t stay in man”.  The Monarchs steadily changed zone defenses during the second half and forced tough looks and deflections.  Cole admitted that the zones gave them a tough time and it became harder to get open looks.

It was more impressive that the Monarch defense was able to focus on limiting contributions other than Cole.  Coach Taylor said that during halftime he made an emphasis to stop the supporting cast.  The team responded by holding the other Vikings to less than 32 percent in the game.

The story—and theme for the Monarchs season—in the game was rebounding.  They had a plus 19 rebound margin.  Senior forward Frank Hassell led the team with 15, followed by senior guard Ben Finney who grabbed 13, 12 of which in the first half.  “These guys get rebounds. It’s not just the big men, but there guards get in there too,” said Waters.  That seems to be a common expression from coaches that have had to face the athletic bigs of ODU this season. This will prove to be a useful tool if they are to make a tournament run.

Bench production will also be a deciding factor.  Senior forward Keyon Carter scored 14 points and sophomore Trian Illiadis added eight on.  When there were droughts throughout the game, Carter and Illiadis helped with timely baskets.  “I know that me and Trian have to come in and provide a spark off the bench,” said Carter.

Junior guard Kent Bazemore might be the most crucial ingredient to the success of the Monarchs.  His defensive prowess will be important and he will have to come close to the 18 points he put up against Cleveland State.  When teams collapse on Hassell in the low post, Bazemore will have to use his athleticism to create plays.

ODU looks to finish out the remainder of their CAA regular season before heading into the conference tournament in Richmond on March 11.

(Photo by Kathryne Mason)

By: Jake Ullrich

It was Kent Bazemore’s second collegiate technical foul. He had stolen the ball and was free for an easy dunk. Bazemore did his now trademark two-handed slam and held on the rim for a second too long. The ref had no hesitation with throwing up a ‘T” and awarded the Vikings two free throw shots, shots that Norris Cole made to cut the Monarchs’ lead to one point. It should have hurt the Monarchs, it should have allowed the Vikings a chance to get back in the game, it should have silenced the crowd, but it didn’t. Instead it led to an 18-5 Old Dominion run that ultimately sealed a 74-63 victory for the Monarchs.

The Vikings were led by senior Norris Cole who set a record for most points scored by an opponent in the Ted Constant Convocation center as well as most points ever in a bracketbuster game when he finished with 35. Cole fouled out of the game with 49 seconds left with the Monarchs leading 72-63.

Unfortunately for Cole, he didn’t have the supporting cast the Monarchs possess. Old Dominion outscored the Vikings 24-2 on the bench, mostly due to Keyon Carter’s 14 points and Trian Iliadis’ eight.

“It’s very important [for the bench to play well],” Carter said. “Their starters did a good job matching up, especially down in the post so me and also Trian [Iliadis] it was important for us to come in and provide a spark and turn this thing around.”

The Monarchs found themselves down early when Cole simply couldn’t miss. Shooting 6-9 from beyond the arc in the first half, Cole finished with 24 of the Viking’s 28 points. The Vikings biggest lead was 7, capitalized when Cole’s three-pointer rattled in, back out and then back in.

“It hit the rim like three times, then hit the backboard and then went in” Kent Bazemore said after the game. “I was just like ‘Alright I guess’. He’s a heck of a player.”

Coach Taylor made a few changes in the media timeout after that shot, bringing in Chris Cooper, Darius James, Trian Iliadis and Nick Wright in a hope to energize the team and crowd. The next play, Wright moved over just in time to force Viking’s guard Jeremy Montgomery into a charge, a play that awoke the 8,328 fans in the Ted and sparked the Monarchs to a 16-6 run to finish out the half.

The Monarchs knew they needed to change something to slow Cole down and a switch to zone defense seemed to confuse the Vikings.

“I thought our defense, as we figured out a little more about him and them, I thought we did a better job as the game wore on playing defense,” Head Coach Blaine Taylor said. “You can give [Cole] all the attention you want but you gotta be careful of the other four and I think we did a wonderful job on the other four.

“It sounds trite but, you know, we shut him right down to 11 points in the second half.”

As it is with most Monarchs’ wins, the team dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Vikings 53 to 24. The Monarchs finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds, one less than the Viking’s total rebounds. The consistent second opportunities for the Monarchs led to easy baskets, as well as demoralizing the Vikings. Senior Ben Finney finished with 13 total rebounds, eight offensive, and Senior Frank Hassell finished with 15, seven offensive. Keyon Carter added five more to the Monarchs’ total.

Starter and perhaps the Monarchs’ best post defender Chris Cooper found himself in early foul trouble and was limited to only 11 minutes. The lack of time for Cooper opened to door for Carter, who had his best game of the season. He was also the beneficiary of a perfect pass from Darius James to allow a monstrous dunk that sent the Ted into hysteria. Carter started the run with the dunk and finished it with a three-point shot that guaranteed the win for the Monarchs.

“It’s extremely satisfying, I couldn’t think of a better game to come out and play well for not only myself but my team,” Carter said. “I wouldn’t have had a very good day if we would have let this one slip, especially to a non-conference opponent.

“It’s just a sense of pride. Being in the CAA, I feel like, you know, all the quote-unquote mid-majors, we’re the elite of that class.”

The win boosts the Monarchs’ already impressive non-conference schedule and helps their serious contention for an at-large birth to the NCAA tournament. It was a win appreciated by the players, coaches and fans alike.

The Monarchs won’t always score 74 points and many times won’t win a game when they allow a player to score 35. But they did and, according to Bazemore, there is only one thing that matters.

“Got the win, it’s all about results.”

(Photo by Kathryne Mason)

By: Ben Decowski

The Old Dominion University Monarchs (21-6, 12-4) moved into a tie with Virginia Commonwealth University (20-8, 12-4) for second place in the Colonial Athletic Association with their win over the Georgia State Panthers (11-15, 6-10) on Feb. 15 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.  The Panthers gave the Monarchs all they could handle in ODU’s 60-43 victory, even though the score may not portray that.  The GSU defense gave a heroic effort that forced ODU to pull out a tough win in a game that most thought would be an easy game for the Monarchs.

The first half was riddled with sloppy offensive play from both teams.  Neither team got into double digit points until redshirted junior guard Kent Bazemore hit two free throws with 7:42 remaining in the first half to give the Monarchs an 11-6 lead.  ODU only hit 6-21 shots from the field in the first half while GSU hit only 8-24.  The defensive dominance comes as no surprise for the Monarchs due to the history of great ODU defenses, but it is probably safe to say that no one expected the GSU defense to play the way it did.

The Panthers were all over the court on defense, refusing to give up any easy shots to the Monarchs.  GSU outrebounded ODU in the first half 20-16, which is extremely rare since ODU prides themselves on their rebounding ability.  The Monarchs were held to only two second chance points in the first half.  The Panthers also contained star senior center Frank Hassell in the first half, holding him to only five points and three rebounds, which was huge because it prevented the Monarch offense from getting any sort of rhythm. 

Through it all, ODU managed to take a lead into half with the score 25-20.  That five- point lead was not comforting though as ODU watched GSU’s redshirted junior guard Jihad Ali hit a 3-pointer and a jump shot back-to-back right before the half.  ODU needed to find a player with a hot hand in the second half if they wanted to pull out another important CAA victory and Hassell understood that all too well.

Hassell came out in the second half and chalked up four quick points to extend ODU’s lead to nine points.  Those four points may have been the most important of the game because it helped the Monarchs find their go-to guy in the game.  From that point on, Hassell helped provide enough of an offensive spark to keep his team on top for the rest of the game with 12 second half points.  Hassell extended the Monarchs lead to 10 points twice in the half, one of which was on an authoritative dunk after a spectacular pass from senior forward Ben Finney.

The Monarchs eventually built their lead up to the 17 points that they won the game by, but it was very gradual. There were not a lot of big runs in this game.  What the game really came down to was the fact that the Panthers sent the Monarchs to the free throw line 16 times in the first half and 12 times in the second half.  The Monarchs hit 21 of those 28, a surprising 75 percent for ODU.  All of those free throws the Monarchs made slowly put the Panthers in that 17- point hole that they just never had the offensive power to come back from.

It seemed that ODU just had too much experience in close games for the young Panthers to pull out the victory.  ODU starts three seniors in Hassell, Finney and guard Darius James, while GSU starts none.  All three of those senior Monarchs had big games with Hassell and Finney recording double-doubles and James adding six points, five assists and no turnovers. 

Even though the Monarchs struggled offensively against the Panthers, their defense never missed a beat.  It is that defense that ODU will need to ride into the CAA tournament, if they want any chance at making it into the NCAA tournament.  The Monarchs still have plenty of time to get their offense rolling again with games against William and Mary and James Madison still on the schedule.  

The win was the third straight for the Monarchs and it was a massive one.  It allowed them to move into a tie for second place in the CAA with the rival VCU Rams, who they beat in Richmond the week before.  The Monarchs are now in their final three games of the regular season and they seem to be getting on a roll. It is the perfect time for that to happen. 

(Photo by Maralee Pepper)

By: Matt McCracken

A coach can look at film to see if a kid can play some basketball.  They can see if they hustle, shoot well, pass efficiently and play defense.  They can read stat sheets to see how well they played compared to other players on the court.  But heart is something that goes beyond the hardwood, beyond film and stat sheets, beyond the ability of a coach.  Heart is something we all have, many depend on, but few take advantage of. The Monarchs’ senior guard/forward Ben Finney fuels off of his.

Finney is average in physical size, but rare in his approach towards basketball.  “I’m the type of guy to do whatever to help my team,” Finney said.  “Assist the ball, I can do that.  Rebound the ball more, I can do that.  Anything they need me to do.”  Personal goals went out the door when Finney first started playing college ball.  Having to go through the loss of his brother Ra-Shawn from a shooting, Finney was forced to mature quicker than most as an individual.

With basketball being the only thing he could lean onto other than family, Finney admitted that “preparing mentally for the games” was the hardest feat he had to overcome in his early Monarch years.  By playing for so many more people than himself, Finney has been successful in his years in an Old Dominion jersey.

Winning the CAA championship and making it to the second round of the NCAA tournament are just a few of the awards Finney has been a part of.  He’s been a starter, CAA player of the week andteam co-captain.  What else is there for him to do?  Finney said, “Sweet 16. If not better.”

Averaging 9.4 ppg and 6.3 rpg, Finney is third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding.  Though this is his second best year in terms of scoring and his best year in rebounding, Finney could care less about his numbers “As far as us winning, I feel like personal goals will come along with it,” Finney said.  ODU might as well put “Monarchs” on the back of his jersey instead of “Finney” with an attitude like that.

Finney is all about the team before himself.  He acknowledges the type of talent he is surrounded by, and is the rumble behind the Monarchs’ engine.  In bad times and premature play, Finney is the one who gets his teammates into the right mind-set during a timeout.  “I just say come on.  You all know we are supposed to be playing better than that,” Finney said. This is a simple message that has been proven by Finney time and time again by his play.

Finney practices what he preaches.  Stat sheets may show his actual numbers, but not how hard he works for his team.  Though he grabs an average of 6.3 rebounds per game, some of these may be falling back or jumping over taller players.  Though he scores a shade over nine points per game, these buckets may come in the closing seconds of a half or to shut down an opponent’s long run.

Finney is as gifted as one can be.  Many athletes stick to one sport when it comes to the collegiate level.  Although Finney chose basketball over football, he ensures people that he’s still got it on the grid-iron.  Even when asked about his future after college, Finney admitted football was an option among other things, including finishing school or going overseas.  Not bothered by the pressures of the real life approaching him, Finney simply said, “I’m keeping my options open.”

Though Finney is turning 23 years old this year, he still has the athletic ability of an 18 year-old.  Finney has proven his doubters wrong time and time again when it comes to his ability to “bounce.”  At the game against VCU at Richmond, Finney had a slam dunk only believable by the people there.  “I thought I’m just gonna take off and show them a lil’ something,” Finney said about the dunk.

Some things, like Finney’s athletic ability, don’t change overtime, but maturity is inevitable.  Being thrown down illegally by a Georgia State player, Finney caught himself in a dilemma in front of his home crowd.  “The old Ben would have fought him,” Finney said and laughed. “I just realized I’m worth much more to my team than that.”

Being a grown man, Finney knows what to expect down the road.  Though he knows the road towards his goals are going to be steep, bumpy, misguided, he keeps going.  When asked about his prediction for the rest of the season, Finney said with a bold face, “Sweet 16.”  His goal equals his prediction.  Better believe it. Finney is a smart man, a good player, a great teammate and an extra-ordinary individual.

(Photo by Danielle Buxton)

By: Justin Brown

The Monarchs beat the Georgia State Panthers 60-43 Feb. 15, but the score was much closer for the majority of the game. The win brought the Monarchs to 12-4 in the CAA and ties them with the VCU Rams for second place, as VCU got slammed by George Mason the same night.

The game was much closer than 17 points for the majority of the match-up. It started slow and the Monarchs could never seem to pull away. Thirteen minutes into the game it was 9-6, just what the Panthers were looking to do. Georgia State Head Coach Rod Barnes came in with the mentality of slowing the game and disrupting the Monarchs’ flow.  “     

The strategy for Barnes worked for the first half as the Monarchs went into halftime with only a 25-20 lead and were out-rebounded 20-16, a feat that not many teams can claim.

Senior Frank Hassell came out hot in the second half and helped to solidify some offense and a win for the Monarchs. Frank put up 12 points in the second and finished with 17 and 10 rebounds. Hassell had the first six points for the Monarchs out of the intermission and gave the Monarchs a sense of physicality and offense to start the second. Junior Kent Bazemore had nothing but good things to say about Hassell’s performance after the game. “I’m always going to be Frank’s biggest carrier,” said Bazemore.  “I know how good he’s been and how far here’s came. He’s come a long way and I think he can even get better.”

The defense played by the Panthers was tough, but the Monarchs put on their hard hats and played even tougher. With a couple of 6-foot- 10 inch forwards, the Panthers were ready to bang defensively, but the Monarchs team, would not let the that deter their chance to claim second place in the conference. “Tonight was a workmen-like performance. We really had to do quite a number of things right. Some teams might’ve not gotten the job done tonight, but we found a way,” said Head Coach Blaine Taylor after the game.

 That’s exactly how the game went and it was the Monarchs’ “workmen-like performance” that was the deciding factor in the game. Without being able to sustain a comfortable lead throughout the game, the Monarchs still played tough defense and won the game with the intangibles. The Panthers were outrebounded 22-17 in the second half and for a team that isn’t always great from the free-throw line, the Monarchs went 11-12 down the stretch and shot 75 percent for the game.

  Ben Finney, a senior leader on this Monarchs basketball team, was a huge factor throughout the second half. He grabbed four offensive rebounds in the period and seven for the game. This Monarchs basketball team came to play with their hard hats on and didn’t stop playing until the final whistle. The same can’t be said about the Panthers. At the three minute mark the Monarchs went on a 12-0 run and all but stopped the Panthers’ chances of getting back into the game. It was 47-42 at that point of the game and the Panthers were only able to score one more point for the rest of the game. The Monarchs, however, scored 13.

 Another conference win for the Monarchs puts them in great position for the CAA tournament. Being in second place would put the Monarchs on the opposite side of the bracket from George Mason and those two power-houses in the CAA would only meet in the finals. The season is winding down, but the story is not finished on the hard-hatted Monarchs .

(Photo By Maralee Pepper)

By: Kathryne Mason

There is no doubt that Shadasia Green is an athlete. You can tell by the way she walks and you can tell by the way she talks. The 5-foot-9-inch guard has the height of a basketball player, the physicality of a boxer and the mindset of a proven leader. The senior from Paterson, New Jersey ranks second on the team with 92 defensive rebounds and third on the team with 645 minutes.

“I don’t have any special secrets. I just go in there and play. I know what my coach wants from me and I know what she is looking for; I just go in and play. No secrets,”  said Green , who also has three brothers and one sister, gives some of the credit to her mom. “Since I was a kid I always had a ball in my hand, and since my mom saw it was something I liked and something I was good at, she made sure I kept practicing and worked hard at it.”

In her fourth and final season wearing a Lady Monarch uniform, Green is the type of leader who makes people listen when she speaks. She would give the freshman version of herself some advice that every college student should heed.

 ”Getting in shape,” Green said. “When you’re in shape your willingness to work hard just comes naturally. And prepare. Preparation is the key to everything when it comes to college.” 

 Green recently had a season-high game against UNC Wilmington with 19 points, but to her she said that’s nothing, but a “regular thing”. Green said that although she felt that it was needed, it wasn’t a career high for her and right now she’s more focused on ending the regular season on a good note until CAA action begins in mid-March.

On Feb. 17, the Lady Monarchs fell to the VCU Rams in Richmond with a final score of 53-74. The Lady Monarchs will have to bounce back and look ahead at their next opponent, which is what Green said it’s all about when losing. “You have to look ahead, you can’t carry it on,” said Green.  “If you carry the loss with you into the next game, you’ll get the same ending result as the last one. You can’t hold onto it, you just gotta look ahead and focus for the next game.”

With only four games left in the regular season, the Lady Monarchs will have a short break before they pick it up again in hopes of bringing home Old Dominion’s 18th CAA Title. To get another title, Green said they’re going to have to put in a lot of hard work and fight, put everything together and play together. “We basically are just looking to get better with every practice,” Green said.  The upcoming short break is much needed, I think. It’ll give us time to re-focus and mentally we need to become stronger.”

Green is born leader. She carries herself a certain way and has the type of voice that makes people listen when she speaks. She speaks as an experienced veteran and is not afraid to tell the truth when needed. “Not to discredit any other team, but I really believe that our biggest opponent in the upcoming tournament will be us,” Green said.  “We’ve played and defeated some really good teams, so if we want to bring home another title we’re really gonna have to pull together. Mentally and physically, – we got to be ready.

(Photo by Christian Ernst)

The Monarchs looked hot early on, getting out early on a 9-2 run. Then Norris Cole happened. Cole, who is averaging over 20 points a game, started finding his groove and shot the Vikings out to a 22-15 lead. The game changed when Coach Taylor went to his bench to bring some energy into the game. The Monarchs switched to a 2-3 zone that greatly confused the Vikings. Suddenly Cole’s shots stopped going down and the Monarchs were able to get out in transition. Trian Iliadis has eight points going into the half and headlined a 16-3 run for the Monarchs. Cole continued his hot shooting, draining a three-pointer with two seconds left in the half to make it a 31-28 Monarchs’ lead. Cole was the high scorer for the Vikings with 24 points, Iliadis for the Monarchs with 8.

By: Ben Decowski

The Old Dominion Lady Monarchs (16-7, 10-2,) displayed a suffocating defense and a flashy offense in their 69-44 victory over the Northeastern Huskies (8-15, 3-9,) at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.  The game put ODU back in the win column after losing to a tough James Madison University team which leads the Colonial Athletic Association.  The loss was the fourth straight for the Huskies.

The Lady Monarchs came out of the gates fast making five 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of the game.  ODU also went on a 13-0 run from the 13:43 minute mark to the 9:47 minute mark which helped them leap out to a 21-7 lead.  “I just felt like the way we shot the ball early was the difference in the game,” said Head Coach Wendy Larry.

The Lady Monarchs did not lay off the offense in the first half as sophomore guard Jackie Cook and senior guard Jasmine Parker both hit three 3-pointers.  “Any time you shoot the ball as well as we did from the arc, you know you have to look at things that you’re doing at the other end too,” said Coach Larry, whose defense held the Huskies under double digits until there was 9:10 left in the first half.

The Lady Monarchs never trailed in the first half of the game and they completely controlled the tempo.  Their largest lead of the half came at the five minute mark after Cook hit a 3-pointer to bring the lead to 15 points.  ODU managed to maintain their dominance in those final five minutes and took a 35-23 lead into halftime.

In that first half ODU hit seven 3-pointers and out-rebounded the Huskies 27 to 15.  Cook came off of the bench and led the team in scoring with 11 points while Parker orchestrated a dangerous offense with 6 first half assists.  The Lady Monarch’s defense stifled the Husky offense as NU only made nine of 29 shots from the field.  ODU shot only 37.1 percent from the field but shot 53 percent from the behind the arc.

Things only got worse for the Huskies in the second half as the Lady Monarchs hit the first five shots of the half to jump out to a 44-23 point lead.  Junior guard Jamie Conroy hit a 3-point shot to put the Huskies on the board for the first time of the second half with 16:46 to go.  Unfortunately for NU, redshirted sophomore guard JoNiquia Guilford hit a layup and then Cook followed it up with her fourth 3-pointer of the game.

The Lady Monarchs held the Huskies to only five second half points through 12:40 of the second half.  ODU turned that strong defense into a scoring show as they extended their second half lead to 38 points with 7:20 to go.  “The offense that we worked, actually we were so open at times we gave up shots,” said Coach Larry.  At that point the game was all but over.  The Huskies would need a miracle to come back that 38 point deficit and they never did.

ODU closed out the game with a 25- point lead to stay tied with UNC-Wilmington for second place in the CAA with a 10-2 conference record.  ODU finished with an incredible 56 rebounds to NU’s 29.  The Lady Monarchs also broke a Ted Constant Center record by making 11 3-point shots in the game.

Cook came off of the bench and led the team in scoring with 16 points, which is her career high.  Parker finished well with eight assists and 11 points but the game was probably most exciting for Junior Center Tia Lewis.  Lewis finished with 14 rebounds and nine points that gave her and outstanding 1,000 career points. 

“I mean it feels good, but actually I wasn’t banking on it because I didn’t think that they would add my freshman year from another school.  I thought it was just this school where you have to get all of your points,” said Lewis, who transferred from Central Florida after her freshman year.  “I’m not saying that it wasn’t my goal but it wasn’t something that I was keeping track of,”

The win was an important one for the Lady Monarchs, who remain in the hunt for a top seed in the CAA tournament at the end of the season.  The win also helps get the Lady Monarchs get back to their winning ways before they play an important game against UNC-Wilmington for sole possession of second place.  ODU is also entering a tough final stretch with games against Virginia Commonwealth, Hofstra and Delaware still on the schedule.

(photo by Rushura Jones)

In all honesty, watching the Old Dominion University Lady Monarchs who stand at (16-7, 10-2) defeat the Northeastern Huskies who stand at (8-15, 3-9) 69-44 was like watching Head Coach Wendy Larry and her team run practice.  The Lady Monarchs soundly beat the Huskies in every facet of the game and a few milestones were reached in doing so.   Junior forward Tia Lewis scored her 1,000^th point in the game and sophomore forward Jackie Cook had a career high 16 points.  The Lady Monarch’s 11 3-pointers were also a Ted Constant Convocation Center record.

 This game was expected to be a blowout since the Huskies rank 10^th in the Colonial Athletic Association, but the win was an important one nonetheless.  ODU is heading into a tough stretch of games that includes UNC-Wilmington, who is tied with the Lady Monarchs for second place, the rival Virginia Commonwealth Rams, Hofstra and Delaware.  The Lady Monarchs were also coming off of a blown opportunity to take first place against the CAA conference leading  Dukes of James Madison University.

  That is why it was so important for ODU to win in the fashion that they did.  This game was one that helped reestablish the team’s confidence and really showed that they do belong at the top of the conference.  It is hard to find a time where Northeastern responded to anything ODU did during this game, because the Huskies really did not get the chance to do anything.  The Lady Monarchs came out so strong defensively that Northeastern didn’t even break into double digit points for almost the first 11 minutes of the game.  To add on top of that, the Lady Monarchs hit 3-pointer after 3-pointer, which completely took the Huskies out of the game.

ODU took a 35-23 point lead into halftime and had already hit seven 3-pointers and bullied the Huskies on the glass grabbing 27 rebounds to NU’s 15.  Usually you would think that head coach Wendy Larry would be satisfied with these numbers and try to slow things down in the second half, but that was not the case. 

Coach Larry seemed to know that her team needed to reestablish themselves as a top CAA team and she had her players come out strong in the second half.  The Lady Monarchs added four more 3-pointers in the second half, which helped the team jump out to a 38 point lead with 7:20 to go.  The Lady Monarchs also continued their dominance on the class grabbing 29 more rebounds to NU’s 14.  An impressive 10 of those rebounds belonged to junior center Tia Lewis. 

The story of the second half was very similar to that of the first.  The Lady Monarchs exuberated great defense followed with a lethal offense.  The Lady Monarchs only allowed the Huskies to score five points in the first 13 minutes of the second half.  In other words, the Lady Monarchs only allowed 0.38 points a minute for the first 13 minutes of the half.  That’s pretty impressive no matter who it is against.   

Looking down the stat sheet it is hard to pick out which player was the biggest contributor to this win because no players really have any numbers that stand out more than the others.  There is senior forward Alena Voronina who had 12 points and seven rebounds , Tia Lewis with  nine points and 14 rebounds, senior guard Jasmine Parker with 11 points and eight assists, and senior guard Shadasia Green and redshirted Sophomore JoNiquia Guilford both contributed eight rebounds of their own.  Basically the Lady Monarchs got back to playing ODU basketball.

ODU has proven to be a team that plays best when there are a number of contributors instead of one superstar.  This is not to say that there are not great players on this team.  Players like Jasmine Parker and Tia Lewis certainly have the ability to have huge games but they understand that they play better as a team.  Teams that can rely on multiple players to contribute are dangerous and ODU is proving to be one of those teams.

So yes, the 69-44 win was somewhat expected, but it is just what the doctor ordered.  The game helped the Lady Monarchs get back on track before facing a number of tough conference opponents.  ODU is in a pretty tough final stretch of regular season games.  This dominating victory keeps the Lady Monarchs from losing any confidence.  If the game had turned out to be close it might have been discouraging to the team and could have caused them to unravel during this final string of games.  Instead they seem primed and ready to make some noise in the CAA before the regular season comes to a close.

(photo by Rushura Jones)