ODU women: Georgia State preview

 

Old Dominion (5-12, 2-3) at Georgia State (6-10, 0-5)

On offense: Georgia State will use full-court pressure but Old Dominion handled it well last time, getting a number of easy shots and committing just 12 turnovers. Ashley Betz-White, for instance, had seven assists and just two turnovers, while the Panthers committed 22 turnovers. That was one of two major differences in the game. Odds are, the turnover battle will be crucial again. Georgia State also didn’t appear to have anyone that could defend Tia Lewis (30 points, 10 rebounds). That shouldn’t change, and Lewis should have a big game playing 90 minutes from her hometown. ODU’s offense has gotten better as Jackie Cook has emerged as a viable second scoring option. Old Dominion was the more aggressive team on offense, shooting 26 free throws to Georgia State’s 10. Georgia State went small in its last game, and ODU has had good success this season when it’s had an advantage inside. If the Panthers try to go small, expect Lewis to put up similar numbers.

On defense: The Lady Monarchs heaped pressure on Georgia State and forced 22 turnovers using a variety of full-court presses and trapping defenses. The Panthers turn the ball over 21.7 times a game, so that probably wasn’t a fluke. For a team that focuses on applying pressure, which usually trades turnovers for some easy baskets, ODU hasn’t forced many turnovers this season (15.8). The Lady Monarchs will need to do better, and Georgia State’s poor ball-handling should help. Pressure defenses sometimes lead to foul trouble, but Georgia State isn’t well-equipped to take advantage of (59.5 percent from the line) so the Lady Monarchs should be able to pressure relentlessly and without major concern. Despite being a young team, ODU actually has an experience edge. Scary.  Only little-used reserve Nicole Hargraves scored 10 points last time out.

The breakdown: Georgia State had decent results but was a struggling team when it visited Norfolk and lost 68-59 earlier this year, benching its three leading scorers for the second half. The Panthers are still struggling. Two of those players, Chan Harris and Kendra Long, just earned their starting spots back last game, although they continued to perform poorly. Georgia State has lost four straight, all by at least nine points, starting with the loss to ODU. Old Dominion, meanwhile, has displayed good cohesiveness despite shaky results for the first half of the season. With two wins and two competitive losses to top teams in their last four games, you could argue ODU has put together four straight above-average efforts. ODU won by nine at home. Logic dictates that it will be a little closer on the road, although ODU seems to have improved since the first meeting. Prediction: ODU 72-67.

                                      ODU             Ga. St.

Points for                     70.0             62.1

Points against            74.2             69.8

Fg pct. For                   38.3             38.8

Ft pct.                           68.2              59.5

3-pt pct                        23.5              29.7

Fg. Pct. Against         43.7              38.7

Rebounds for            38.7              40.1

Rebounds against   41.0              42.7

Turnovers forced       15.8             18.77

Turnovers by               19.4             21.3 

Projected starters

PG – Ashley Betz-White (5-3, Fr) 8.5 pts, 3.4 apg vs. Ashley Watson (5-6, Fr) 4.0 pts, 71.4 ft pct.

SG – JoNiquia Guilford (5-10, Jr) 5.5 pts, 4.2 rebs vs. Kendra Long (5-9, So) 11.9 pts, 37.0 3-pt pct

SF – Jackie Cook (6-0, Jr) 8.5 pts, 30.0 3-pt pct vs. Tiffany Anderson (5-9, Jr) 5.8 pts, 3.8 rebs

PF – Tia Lewis (6-3, Sr) 18.8 pts, 9.1 rebs vs. Miranda Smith (5-9, Fr) 3.3 pts, 1.8 rebs

C – Shakeva Richards (6-2, So) 5.6 pts, 47.1 fg pct vs. Chan Harris (6-2, Sr) 9.6 pts, 7.6 rebs

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