ATLANTA, GA (WTKR)- Old Dominion entered Thursday's game at Georgia State just two games out of first place in the Sun Belt, but the Panthers started off the Monarchs' road trip on a sour note.
Georgia State shot 65 percent from the floor and rolled past ODU in a laugher, 97-75. The defeat dropped Mike Jones and company to 11-15, 7-6 in conference play.
The Monarchs trailed, 20-17, in the first half, but an 11-0 run by the Panthers swelled the deficit to 14 points and the silver and blue went into the locker room trailing 41-25.
The home team came out on fire in the second half, opening the frame on a 13-2 run to put ODU in an even bigger hole, one that was just too steep to escape. Georgia State led by as many as 32 points and ran away with the convincing victory.
Sean Durugordon led Old Dominion with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Cal Swanton-Rodger scored a career-high 16 points and added seven boards. Jaden Johnson chipped in 12 points and Robert Davis Jr. added 11 points to round out the Monarchs in double figures. The Panthers' Cesare Edwards led all scorers with 29 points.
Old Dominion narrowly won the rebounding battle, 32-31, and pulled down 14 offensive boards.
Next up, the Monarchs will hop over to Statesboro to face Georgia Southern on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3:00 PM. The Eagles beat ODU at Chartway Arena last month, 67-63.
