CONWAY, S.C. — CONWAY, S.C. (WTKR) — On the last day of the season, Old Dominion found a way to snap its losing skid.
After giving up a 11-2 run to surrender their first lead of the second half to Coastal Carolina, R.J. Blakney hit a late three to lift the Monarchs to a 61-59 victory Friday night.
The silver and blue led the game for more than 31 minutes and the entire second half, leading 55-48 with 4:29 to play. The Chanticleers battled back, however, scoring on four straight possessions to grab a 59-57 lead with 1:17 to go.
ODU couldn't tie the game up but forced a turnover on the ensuing possession to give itself a chance in the final 20 seconds. Robert Davis Jr. missed on a transition three but Cal Swanton-Rodger swooped in for the offensive rebound, his fourth in the game.
Jaden Johnson got the ball back out top, then drove the lane and kicked to an open Blakney in the corner for the dagger triple.
Mike Jones called timeout to set up his defense and it paid off when the Chanticleers turned the ball over on the inbounds play. They fouled Davis Jr. on the next possession, but the sophomore guard split the pair of free throws. A last chance three from Rasheed Jones landed short on the rim at the final second and ODU sealed up the win.
Davis Jr. led ODU with 14 points with Blakney and Sean Durugordon each posting 12 points and Caden Diggs contributing 10 points off the bench.
Now at 12-19 and 8-10 in the Sun Belt, all eyes turn to the league tournament next week. The new seven-day bracket forces teams at the bottom of the standings to have to go through a gauntlet to make the championship game with the first and second place teams getting a bye to the semifinals.
Currently, Old Dominion sits in the 10th spot in the standings mean they would get a first round bye but would need to win six straight games to win the tournament. They would face the winner of Louisiana and Louisiana-Monroe next Wednesday in Pensacola, Florida.
