In the eight times the Pride has ever faced Old Dominion University (ODU), it has only managed to squeeze out one win. That win, a colossal 74-72 upset at Hofstra Arena Jan. 18, 2004, is what people around the team have called the most important win in women’s basketball history. It also was marked as the turning point for a program that is hungry for success under third-year head coach Felisha Legette-Jack.
So, imaginably, last Thursday’s regular season finale against ODU was a much-anticipated match up. Unfortunately for the Pride, however, the Lady Monarchs led the whole way en route to a 78-65 win at Hofstra Arena.
The Pride kept ODU close for the most part in the first half, cutting the lead down to four with just over 11 minutes remaining on a jumper by senior guard Charlotte Baldrey-Chourio. The relentless Lady Monarchs, however, continued to pound the undersized Pride beneath the basket, as they trudged to a nine-point advantage at the half.
The second half was much of the same as the Pride trailed by double-digits from start to finish. ODU opened the half with an 11-3 run, led by sophomore guard Tish Lyons’ nine points, widening the commanding lead to 18.
The loss drops the Pride’s record to 12-15 overall and 7-11 in the Colonial Athletic Association and secures the seventh seed in the conference tournament. The Pride ended the regular season losing six out of seven games.
ODU, meanwhile, improved to 19-7 overall and 15-2 in the conference, but a 71-68 loss at Drexel on Sunday ensured the Lady Monarchs the No. 2 seed in the tournament. It was the first time in 14 years ODU hasn’t had at least a share of the top spot in the CAA.
Sophomore Lana Harshaw led the Pride in scoring with a career-high 21 points on 5 of 8 shooting. The 6-foot forward also led the team with nine rebounds, the only player to have over three. Sophomores Lizanne Murphy and Cigi McCollin both had off-days, as Murphy put up only two points and grabbed a mere three boards, numbers way below her double-double season average. McCollin continued on here recent slump, shooting only 3-for-13 from the field for 14 points.
Sophomore center Vanessa Gidden, the team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder, sat out the game because of a contusion to the face she suffered in practice the Wednesday before the game. Jack said Gidden got stitches and decided to sit out the game in fear of the cut being re-opened. Gidden will be ready for action this Wednesday in the Pride’s first-round conference game against the College of William & Mary last night.
The Lady Monarchs, on the other hand, had five players in double-figures and three players with double-doubles. Lyons led the team with 17 points and six boards followed by freshman forward Shalinda Williams, who put up 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
Although it seems as if ODU, the top-ranked offense in the conference, had a dominating offensive performance, the Lady Monarchs shot a meager 37.6 percent from the field, two points less than the Pride.
Also the top rebounding team in the conference, ODU out-rebounded the Pride 59-27. Gidden’s 6-foot-3 frame and physical play was dearly missed in the lower-post Thursday. In addition, the Pride’s lack of numbers didn’t suit them well against an ODU team that was rotating 12 players in and out all night.
More importantly, the Lady Monarchs snagged 35 offensive boards to the Pride’s five. Their physicality underneath the basket led to 28 second chance points.
“We didn’t do a great job of boxing out,” Jack said. “They’re a great team and they’re always going to out-rebound us, for the most part. But, my thing is, make them come over your back a little bit and maybe get a call here and there. It’s a game that got away from us. I think that we lost some time to seize that moment and we have to try and re-group and get that back on Wednesday [for the conference tournament].”