Cooper's rebounds set record as ODU wins fourth straight

NORFOLK

Woe to the player at a recent Old Dominion basketball practice who has held the ball. When the ball has stopped, coach Blaine Taylor has started in on the offending party.

"Our offense is very simple, it's a motion offense and a lot of people run it," guard Kent Bazemore said. "If you hold the ball... guys get stymied."

When the ball moves, good things happen, as they did in droves during Thursday night's 80-71 win over James Madison.

Swinging the ball, making the extra pass, the Monarchs looked every bit the team finding its offensive footing. Beating perimeter-oriented JMU at its own game, the Monarchs made 13 3-pointers, a Constant Center record and a veritable outburst from a team that came in shooting 30 percent from beyond the arc.

At its game, rebounding, ODU clobbered JMU, grabbing 47 to 29 for the Dukes. Forward Chris Cooper gave JMU a run on the glass by himself, grabbing an arena-record 22 rebounds.

The combination of outside touch and inside muscle lifted ODU into the crowded pack at the top of the CAA. The Monarchs are 1 of 4 teams tied with a 10-2 record.

"A couple months ago, if somebody took off on vacation and then came back, they wouldn't believe this," Taylor said. "We couldn't score 80 points in two games."

ODU (15-9) reached that mark for just the third time this season, and did it by hitting 13 of 25 3-pointers and gobbling 18 offensive rebounds.

The Monarchs had 11 assists on 13 first-half field goals.

"Our ball movement is leading to better shots, and more predicable shots to rebound," Taylor said.

ODU led by nine at the half, and began the second by getting multiple shots on its first several possessions. The 6-foot-9 Cooper led the way, shedding Dukes as he grabbed rebound after rebound.

"He's like a grown man out there," Bazemore said. "Like he's really 30 years old playing against little kids, getting rebounds like that."

JMU is far from the CAA's biggest or most physical team, and Cooper had his way. He said he's never grabbed as many rebounds, on any level.

"I was just in a zone tonight, pretty much," he said.

With five players hitting 3s, ODU stretched its early second-half lead to 19. JMU (10-14, 3-9) chipped away behind the production of guard A.J. Davis (23 points) and forward Andrey Semenov (22 points, six 3-pointers).

A Semenov 3-pointer cut ODU's lead to nine before Trian Iliadis (11 points) answered with a pair of 3-pointers. A Bazemore layup appeared to put things out of reach at 73-63, but the Dukes kept coming, and cut it to four with 53.6 seconds to play.

The Monarchs, who have had trouble starting games, turned that on its head and appeared in danger of not being able to finish. A Bazemore layup finally secured things with 34 seconds to play.

"I think we lost focus a little bit," Cooper said. "We got sidetracked."

Just a bit, and not enough to prevent an eighth win in nine games. ODU plays George Mason Saturday in Fairfax.

"There's a lot at stake," Baze-more said. "But we've got to approach it like it's just another game."

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