FAIRFAX, Va. -- TJ Jordan and Megan Pym each scored 14
points, and No. 13 Old Dominion withstood a late run by George
Mason for a 71-61 victory Thursday night.
Old Dominion had a 22-point lead with 5 minutes left, but went
scoreless for nearly 4½ minutes as George Mason scored 14 straight
points.
Old Dominion (19-3, 10-0 Colonial Athletic Conference) improved
to 42-0 against the Patriots (8-13, 2-8). The Lady Monarchs are on
a 13-game winning streak and have won 16 of their last 17.
Old Dominion's last loss was against then-No. 1 Tennessee on
Dec. 5.
George Mason had a chance to get even closer, but missed an
opportunity at the foul line. With 45 seconds left and Old Dominion
holding a 67-57 lead, Jordan was called for a foul attempting a
steal. Frustrated, she slammed the ball down and was called for a
technical foul as well.
Lateisha Wade made the two technical foul shots but missed the
front end of a one-and-one from Jordan's foul. Old Dominion then
made 4 of 9 free throws in the final seconds to hold the Patriots
at bay.
Wade picked up her first career double-double with 18 points and
a career-high 11 rebounds. Jessica Smith scored 12 points and Casey
Quigley 11 for the Patriots.
Tiffany Green scored 12 points and Jazzmin Walters had 11 for
Old Dominion.
The Lady Monarchs took control early, opening with a 15-3 spurt.
A few minutes later, a 9-0 run pushed the score to 30-12 with eight
minutes left in the first half.
Old Dominion held a 39-20 lead at the half, and had held George
Mason to 27.6 percent shooting.
The Patriots put on a better performance in the second half.
George Mason shot 61.5 percent after halftime, but Old Dominion's
lead stayed in the double digits until the final minute. The Lady
Monarchs' largest lead was the 67-45 margin with five minutes to
play.