-Jesse Jones

I went to my first Lady Hawks hoop game Thursday night. I knew it had been a tough season, but this team looked like they could play with first place Old Dominion, the team that has won 18 of the last 19 CAA titles.

After trailing for most of the game, they managed to stay within range and mounted a second half comeback. The Hawks tied the score at 52 with about five minutes remaining… the game was theirs for the taking and a big win certainly can sweeten a mostly sour season.

ODU however responded with a devastating body blow in the form of a 7-0 run, taking the wind out of UNCW’s sails.

The Seahawks would climb up off the mat. Their resurgence brought them within one with under a minute to play, but with a chance to take the lead in the game’s waning moments, it just wasn’t meant to be; in fact the Seahawks turned the ball over on a back court violation with a chance to slay Goliath. After two ODU free throws, down three, UNCW couldn’t muster any last second heroics. Short end of 61-58 score may have been a moral victory, a sign of good play and improvement, but the Lady Hawks are now 0-41 all time against the Monarchs… close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades.

That’s my analysis, here’s the UNCW release…

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Junior guards Kquanise Byrd and Jasmine Parker tallied 13 points apiece to lead four Lady Monarchs in double figures as Old Dominion defeated UNC Wilmington, 61-58, in Colonial Athletic Association women’s basketball action Thursday at Trask Coliseum.

The Lady Monarchs improved to 11-9 on the season and 9-1 in CAA play as they took over sole possession of first place in the league standings. ODU also picked up its 41st consecutive victory over the Seahawks as it remained undefeated against UNCW. The Seahawks slipped to 7-14 and 2-8 with the three-point setback.

Byrd and Parker highlighted an ODU attack that was 22-of-47 from the floor and 8-of-17 from three-point range in the contest despite sophomore center Tia Lewis, the team’s second leading scorer at 11.8 points per game, being held without a point.

Junior guard Shadasia Green and senior forward Jessica Canady joined Byrd and Parker in double figures with in 11 and 10 points, respectively. Canady also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds while Green and Lewis chipped in six caroms each.

Junior forward Martha White scored a team-high 15 points and frontcourt classmate Brittany Blackwell added 14 markers for UNCW, who 43.4 percent from the field in the contest, highlighted a 12-for-22 effort from the floor in the second half. Senior Candace Walker joined the duo in double figures with a season-high 10 points. Blackwell also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds and matched her career high with five steals as she paced a UNCW defense that recorded 13 thefts in the contest.

With the score knotted at 52-all at the 4:49 mark of the second half, a three-pointer by sophomore center Mairi Buchan from the top of the key sparked a 7-0 run that gave ODU a 59-52 cushion with 2:28 remaining.

UNCW countered the Lady Monarchs run, using a jumper by Walker and layups from White and Blackwell over a one

minute span to pull within one, 59-58.

The Seahawks had a chance to take the lead moments later as Parker was called for a traveling violation, but the Lady Monarchs trapped senior guard Whitney Simmons at midcourt on UNCW’s next trip down the floor and forced a backcourt violation to regain possession.

UNCW was forced to foul and sent Canady to the free-throw line, where she made both attempts to give ODU a three-point edge, 61-58.

The Seahawks looked to tie the game on their final possession, but were unable to get a clean shot off before the final buzzer.

In the first half, ODU raced out to an early 9-2 lead before the Seahawks scored seven unanswered points to knot the score at 9-all.

The two teams battled back and forth over the next four minutes until a three-pointer by Parker ignited a 13-3 run that gave the Lady Monarchs an eight-point cushion, 26-18.

UNCW followed the spurt with six straight points to pull within two until ODU tallied the last four points of the half on baskets from Green and Canady to take a 30-24 advantage into the locker room.

ODU maintained a two-possession lead through the early part of the second half until back-to-back baskets by White pulled the Seahawks within three, 42-39.

The Lady Monarchs countered with five unanswered points to take their biggest lead of the frame, 47-39, before a layup by Walker started a five minute stretch that saw the Seahawks out-score ODU, 13-5, to tie the game at 52-all.

Both teams are back in action Sunday with CAA contests. UNCW is at Hofstra for a 1 p.m. start while ODU hosts VCU in a 2 p.m. tip-off.