It took halftime adjustments for the Old Dominion women’s basketball team to roll by in-state foe William & Mary 59-43. Playing in front of a crowd of 2,200 spectators for their home opener, the Lady Monarchs fed off the energy of the crowd in order to secure the dub against the Tribe (2-1) and earn back-to-back victories to improve their record to 2-1. 

Both teams broke from their huddles ready for action. The Lady Monarchs started off with the hot hand as sophomore guard Kaya Clark drained a three-pointer. ODU led 5-2 early on. The Tribe got back on the board again to cut it to one, but senior forward Brianna Jackson got into the paint for the bucket to make it 7-4. Jackson also scored the next basket for ODU to increase their lead to five points midway through the first quarter.

On the next ODU possession, they turned it over and the Tribe scored to make it 9-6. Junior guard and transfer from Chipola College Jordan McLaughlin retaliated against the Tribe’s score with a jump shot of her own, increasing the lead to 11-6. Both teams went back and forth the rest of the quarter, but the Lady Monarchs had the five-point advantage (15-10) going into the second quarter. 

To begin the second frame, the Tribe got fouled and converted both free throws to make the score 15-12. After gaining possession of the loose ball, senior forward Amari Young had an opportunity to make the fast-break layup, but she was fouled on the play and went to the line. Young made both free throws, increasing ODU’s lead to 17-12. William & Mary scored the next four points in the quarter to cut the deficit to within one point, but McLaughlin got a steal on the ensuing Tribe possession, which then found the hands of Young for an easy layup to make it 19-16. 

It was a bit of sloppy effort at the foul line for the Lady Monarchs in the first half, but ODU maintained their lead midway through the second quarter. The Tribe gained their first lead of the evening when they drained a three-pointer to make the score 21-19. On the ensuing Monarch possession, Washington retaliated with a three-pointer of her own to regain the ODU lead 22-21. Old Dominion took a 25-23 lead into the halftime break. 

The second half started off with the Tribe draining a jump shot from the top of the key at the shot clock buzzer to tie the game at 25. On the ensuing ODU possession, Clark got the Lady Monarchs on the board with a basket to regain a 27-25 advantage. McLaughlin added to the ODU lead with a layup to make it 29-25. The Lady Monarchs kept the pressure on as Jackson dished it to McLaughlin under the basket for the layup, extending the Lady Monarch’s advantage to six. After a turnover on the ensuing Tribe possession, Jackson tallied another bucket to make the score 33-25, resulting in a William & Mary timeout. 

Midway through the third quarter, the Tribe went to the foul line and ended the ODU scoring run with one of two free throws. The score was 33-26 in favor of ODU as they came out of the break with halftime adjustments. After a foul on the shot, the Tribe drained two more free throws, cutting away at the Monarch’s lead. Young would find herself at the foul line again, making one of two free throws to bring the score to 34-28. The Lady Monarchs finished the quarter on a strong note with a 42-30 lead. 

Old Dominion opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back baskets from graduate student Jatyjia Jones and junior center Jada Duckett, extending their lead to 47-30. The Tribe ended their scoring drought on the ensuing possession with a shot from beyond the arc, cutting the ODU lead to 47-33. With less than four minutes remaining in the contest, McLaughlin got another steal and went down the court for the easy layup to make it 54-38. After a Tribe basket, Washington was open in the corner again for another three-pointer, extending the ODU lead to 57-40. 

The Lady Monarchs continued applying offensive pressure throughout the game’s final minutes, ensuring their 59-42 victory. McLaughlin played 34 minutes, the most for any ODU player. She tallied 11 points and had six assists and three steals in her first game at Chartway Arena. Young had 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Jackson added 10 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Clark finished the evening with five points, five rebounds, and three assists. ODU shot for 39 percent from the field and 21 percent from the free-throw line.

After the game, head coach Delisha-Milton Jones mentioned how her Monarchs started slow but made the adjustments needed to secure the win. 

“William and Mary came in here off of two good wins. We knew if we did not come out with the right mentality, we would be ripe for the picking,” Jones stated. “Once we made some adjustments in the second half, the game opened up for us.”

Next up for Old Dominion is a pair of road trips before returning home. They will play at Xavier this Saturday, Nov. 19 before traveling to Elon on Tuesday, Nov. 22. ODU will then return to Norfolk to face Coppin State on Sunday, Nov. 27. Tip-off for the Xavier matchup is slated for 1 p.m.