■ 03 December 2008 | 11:42 PM
The Monarchs turned a rout into a thriller Wednesday night, but they survived despite some shaky late ballhandling and some missed opportunities by Richmond.
ODU led by as many as 17 points and snapped a three-game losing streak.
“We were just too anxious to make plays,” Taylor said of the zany final moments, which included turnovers on ODU’s final three possessions.
The good … Keyon Carter, making his first start, had career highs with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Five players had at least five points before halftime, thanks to some unselfish looks. ODU dominated the boards, outrebounding UR 39-25.
The bad … Those cringe-inducing turnovers down the stretch. The Monarchs had just one field goal in the closing four minutes of the game. ODU’s Marsharee Neely, usually a solid shooter, missed 3 of 4 free throws in the final 1:17.
In the zone
ODU’s zone defenses in the first half were the difference in keeping Richmond from getting going. Without it, it’s much closer after halftime when things get dicey.
Coach Blaine Taylor didn’t want to talk specifically about how ODU defended the Spiders, saying “we have to play them the next four years.”
Here’s what coaches and players had to say about the Monarchs’ defense:
ODU’s Taylor: “When you play people that play a Princeton offense, if you play man all night they’re going to get in a rhythm and get in a groove. What we try to do against any opponent is try to strategically change the rhythm of the game at times.”
ODU’s Carter: “We tried to close shooters and bunker down the middle and keep the ball away from the bucket as long as we possibly can. Get them late in the shot clock where they’re going to have to force up a shot they don’t want.”
Richmond guard David Gonzalvez, who finished with a game-high 20 points: “It definitely slowed us down. We just passed it around the perimeter too much.”
About those calls ...
Old Dominion drew two offensive foul calls in the final 2:49, wiping out possible three-point plays by Richmond’s Justin Harper:
* Gerald Lee drew one with 2:49 left. A three-point play there would have trimmed the Monarchs’ lead to two points.
* Jonathan Adams drew a charge with 35 seconds remaining. A three-point play at that point would have tied it at 65.
Richmond coach Chris Mooney and Harper both shrugged off the calls.
“I tried my best to get that bucket for my team, and it didn’t happen that way,” Harper said.
Added Mooney, “We need to make the play and make the basket. Everybody on the floor is trying their best, and if we can make that play and get a basket and get an and-1 and tie the game, that would’ve been great. We didn’t, but we still had time.”
For starters
Old Dominion’s Keyon Carter and Kent Bazemore got their first collegiate starts.
Asked why the duo started, Taylor responded: “(Carter) and Bazemore put up with so much crap yesterday. If they can handle what I gave them yesterday, they deserve to go out there first. We didn’t have a great practice yesterday and we worked through some things yesterday.”
“Keyon’s been up and down, just like the team, and Baze’s been up and down like the team,” Taylor added. “But I thought getting those guys out there to begin with gave me more versatility on offense and more versatility on defense.”
Bazemore finished with five points on 1-of-6 shooting from the floor.
Carter was especially effective under the basket in the first half. Many of his 14 points came on putbacks.
“Getting the first start helps with energy because you get fired up in the lockerroom and most of that energy transitions to the court,” Carter said. “I just tried to help my team the best way I could, so it felt good.”
They said it
“We were just attacking the bucket. We wanted to attack, attack, attack.”
- ODU’s Keyon Carter, on the first half.
“I think we were just a little bit complacent. I think Old Dominion took the game to us and we did not match their physicality or their aggression.”
-- UR coach Chris Mooney, referring to the opening half.
“I told the kids before the game ‘Be sure of yourself. Whatever you do, be sure of yourself. And we got a little unsure of ourselves at the end of the game.”
-- ODU coach Blaine Taylor
Up next
Old Dominion plays host to Delaware at 4 p.m. Saturday in a Colonial Athletic Association opener.
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