Not pretty, but a pretty good victory for ODU

NORFOLK

The game was part of the "campus round" of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff.

The game tape, however, won't be headed to Springfield.

Old Dominion's 53-43 win over Howard on Wednesday night was no thing of beauty, particularly a first half in which the Monarchs scratched out just 15 points.

In a bottom-line business, though, no one was much worried about how ODU picked up its second win of the young season, only that it did.

"I'll take a double-digit win any day," coach Blaine Taylor said. "We had to do a lot of things better in the second half, obviously, than we did in the first half."

The Monarchs trailed 20-15 at the break. They shot 6 for 23 and committed 10 turnovers.

Kent Bazemore, the Colonial Athletic Association's preseason Player of the Year, watched the ugliness unfold from the bench.

"I was burning on the inside, ready to go out there," he said.

Bazemore was held out of the half as part of the effort to manage his recovery from offseason foot surgery. His status for the game was "available if needed," Taylor said.

With 18:16 left in the game and ODU down 22-15, Taylor decided Bazemore was needed.

Taylor sent him to the scorer's table, hoping he would have a calming influence on his teammates. His effect was energizing.

"When No. 24 came off the bench, he may not have scored a point," Howard coach Kevin Nickelberry said. "His presence alone created problems."

Bazemore didn't score in nine minutes of action. He made an impact immediately, though, grabbing a rebound and finding Dimitri Batten for a fast-break layup. He also blocked a shot - pinning a layup by 6-foot-10 Alphonso Leary to the glass - and made a steal.

With more spring in its step, ODU embarked on a 23-4 run that featured seven points from point guard Marquel De Lancey and consecutive 3-pointers by Batten.

"If I can provide a spark, then, hey, that's what I'll do right now until I get healthy," Bazemore said.

Taylor said Bazemore wouldn't have played major minutes "under any circumstances." He felt fortunate to get a win with the senior playing so little, he said.

"Most of the rest of the guys gave us some pretty tough minutes," he said.

Chris Cooper played 29, and helped turn the game with his second-half defense on Leary, a sophomore who went to Maury High and Howard's best inside scorer.

Guard Trian Iliadis played 35, and although he shot just 3 for 9, grabbed nine rebounds.

ODU (2-1) held Howard (1-2) to 34 percent shooting. The Monarchs shot 67 percent in the second half.

"We got all the loose balls in the first half, they got all the loose balls in the second," Nickelberry said.

ODU heads to Connecticut today. The Monarchs will play South Florida on Saturday in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at the Mohegan Sun Casino. The winner will play with the winner of a game between Penn State and Kentucky.

The Monarchs will get forward Nick Wright back from a three-game suspension. They also hope Bazemore will be available for more extended stints.

His playing time has been tapering since he played 30 minutes in the opener against Northern Iowa on Saturday. Taylor said the problem is not Bazemore's foot per se, but soreness in his legs as he gets into playing shape.

"We're trying to limit his minutes to get that to calm down a little bit, so he can move a little more efficiently, and briskly, and pain-free," he said.

Ed Miller, (757) 446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com