PENSACOLA, FL (WTKR)- For the second straight year, the Old Dominion women's basketball team escaped a scare in the Sun Belt quarterfinals and did enough to survive and advance.
Jordan McLaughlin's jumper with 42 seconds left gave the Monarchs the lead back and they held on to top Louisiana-Monroe, 67-64, at the Pensacola Bay Center Friday afternoon.
After McLaughlin beat the buzzer at the end of the first quarter to put ODU up, 19-16, the silver and blue were able to create some separation in the second and took a 38-28 lead into halftime.
The Monarchs swelled the lead to as many as 16 points in the third quarter, but the Warhawks began to chip away at the end of the frame. They would erase the deficit in the fourth when Daisha Bradford's jumper tied the game at 58-58 with 4:19 to play. Bradford's free throw three minutes later pushed ULM in front, 61-60, and the two went back and forth down the stretch.
Free throws gave ODU the 67-64 advantage, but ULM's Lauren Gross was able to get a shot off with one second left. It was just off the mark, allowing the Monarchs to move on.
McLaughlin paced the silver and blue with 19 points and five assists, while Brenda Fontana added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Kaye Clark chipped in 12 points.
Next up for Old Dominion is Marshall in Sunday's semifinals. The Thundering Herd has been a thorn in the Monarchs' side this season, picking up two lopsided victories over ODU.
