Olivia Knight directs traffic at Old Dominion on Jan. 5, 2023.
Keith Lucas / Sideline Media
49
ULM ULM 5-9,1-2 Sun Belt
63
Winner Old Dominion ODU 9-7,1-2 Sun Belt
ULM ULM
5-9,1-2 Sun Belt
49
Final
63
Old Dominion ODU
9-7,1-2 Sun Belt
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
ULM ULM 14 5 13 17 49
Old Dominion ODU 15 13 19 16 63

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Scoring Droughts, Missed Free Throws Costly in Road Loss at ODU

NORFOLK, Va. – Makayla Dickens and Kaye Clark combined for 25 points to lead Old Dominion to its first-ever Sun Belt Conference victory, 63-49 over ULM Thursday, as the Monarchs ended a four-game losing streak.
 
Old Dominion (9-7, 1-2 Sun Belt) outscored the Warhawks, 32-18, over the second and third quarters to build a double-digit lead that was never threatened in the fourth quarter.
 
ULM's Aasia Sam opened the scoring with a layup in transition off an assist from Olivia Knight, but the Monarchs scored eight of the next nine points to take an 8-3 lead on two free throws from Kaye Clark with 6:15 on the clock. Clark's 15-foot jumper from the right wing gave ODU a 10-5 advantage with 4:51 left in the opening quarter. The Warhawks reeled off five-straight points as Kierra Brimzy converted a layup off an inbounds pass from Knight, Bre Sutton turned a steal into a layup and Emma Merriweather made 1-of-2 free-throw attempts as ULM tied the game at 10-all with 3:31 remaining. The Monarchs got a step-back jumper by Jordan McLaughlin off the right baseline and Althea Angeles followed with a 3-pointer from the left wing as ODU took a 15-10 lead with 2:03 to play. Merriweather scored on a putback and added a layup in the final 65 seconds as the Warhawks pulled to with one at the end of the first quarter, 15-14.
 
Merriweather came off the bench to post seven points and six rebounds, including four offensive boards, in eight minutes in the opening period. ULM (5-9, 1-2) made 6-of-11 field-goal attempts (55 percent) in the first 10 minutes but committed nine turnovers.
 
ODU opened the second quarter with a 13-2 run and built a 28-16 advantage on Jada Duckett's rebound goal with 5:05 remaining. The Warhawks managed just two field goals (2-of-12) and five points in the second quarter while turning the ball over five times. The Monarchs led 28-19 at halftime.
 
"We were hesitant and shied away from their physicality in the second quarter," ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "We had opportunities but didn't take advantage.
 
"Losing Katlyn Manuel and Myca Trail early affected us a great deal. Having both of them out for most of the first half – Kate in early foul trouble and Myca with an injury – was certainly tough and contributed some to our inability to put the ball in the goal."
 
Sam drove from the right wing into the lane to hit a 12-foot pull-up jumper, Sutton converted another steal into the layup and made the first of two free-throw attempts as ULM clawed back to within five at 35-30 with 5:46 left in the third quarter. Duckett hit a 10-foot jumper in the lane to spark a 12-2 spurt as ODU extended its lead to 47-32 on Taleah Washington's 3 with 12 seconds left in the period.
 
Dickens' 3-pointer gave the Monarchs' their largest lead at 57-39 with 4:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. Merriweather completed a 3-point play and made a hook shot in the paint to account for five of ULM's next six points as the Warhawks rallied to within 12 at 57-45 with 3:04 on the clock.
 
Both teams hit below 40 percent from the field (ULM 19-fo-51 for 37 percent and ODU 24-of-67 for 36 percent). The Warhawks marched to the free-throw line 25 times but made only 11 attempts (44 percent). ODU outrebounded ULM, 47-34, and held a 20-6 advantage in second-chance points.
 
"It's very frustrating to struggle like that from the free-throw line," Williams said. "I'm disappointed for them because we got to the line 25 times but couldn't capitalize. It's a different game if we knock down our free throws.
 
"(From a rebounding standpoint) It hurt us not having Kate for the majority of the game. She brings us a different presence in the paint at the forward position."
 
Dickens, who made 5-of-11 field-goal attempts including 4-of-7 3-pointers, led the Monarchs with 14 points. Clark hit 4-of-8 shots from the floor and chipped in with 11 points.
 
Three Warhawks reached double figures, led by Merriweather who recorded her third double-double of the season and seventh of her career, scoring a game-high 16 points to go along with 14 rebounds (five offensive boards). She connected on 7-of-10 attempts from the field while contributing three blocked shots and two steals.
 
"We're proud of Emma's effort tonight," Williams said. "She rebounded out of her area and caught difficult passes and finished at the rim."
 
ULM also got 12 points from Sam, who went 5-of-11 from the field, and 11 points and a career-high six steals from Sutton.
 
"Aasia Sam was assertive offensively in the second half," Williams said. "We need her to play with that confidence. She's capable of scoring on all three levels.
 
"Bre asserted herself getting to the rim in the second half and made some tough plays late in the game out of our press."
 
Thursday's game marked the first meeting between ULM and Old Dominion in 38 years. The only previous meeting came on March 29, 1985, at the NCAA Final Four in Austin, Texas, as the Monarchs outlasted then-Northeast Louisiana, 57-47, in the national semifinals.
 
The Warhawks play their second of four consecutive Sun Belt road games at Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 7, with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT.
 
 
Print Friendly Version