NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Once again, Old Dominion showed flashes of potential on Thursday night. Once again, it was not enough and featured an all-too-familiar ending.
The Monarchs struggled from the free throw line and connected on just four of their 23 three-point attempts, falling to Louisiana, 68-60, at Chartway Arena. The loss drops ODU to 6-20 and 2-11 in the Sun Belt.
"The turnovers really hurt us," interim head coach Kieran Donohue said after the game. "The missed free throws really hurt us and in the first half there were more than enough bad shots that hurt us."
The Ragin' Cajuns used an 11-0 run in the first half to take the lead and surge ahead, opening up a 21-13 cushion with 7:38 to play in the frame. They would swell the advantage to as many as 15 points before Old Dominion ended the half on a 5-0 surge and went into the locker room trailing 37-27.
ODU came out strong early in the second half, cutting its deficit to 40-37 with 16:55 to play, but that's as close as the Monarchs could get. Louisiana opened things back up and kept the silver and blue at arm's length for the rest of the way. A Bryce Baker triple trimmed the gap to four with 5:21 remaining to give the squad some hope, though the squad could not build on it down the stretch.
Chaunce Jenkins scored a game-high 16 points, while freshman Dani Pounds added a career-best 13 points. Tyrone Williams chipped in 13 points as well. Louisiana's Kobe Julien, who entered as the Sun Belt's leading scorer averaging 18.2 points per game, led four Ragin' Cajuns in double figures with 14 points.
ODU connected on just 10 of its 18 free throws, at one point missing six in a row during a second half where they proved crucial. The Monarch also committed 16 turnovers that would lead to 17 Louisiana points. The silver and blue defense held the Cajuns to just 36 percent shooting, but their offense could not find the groove to make that count.
It's a familiar sight for Old Dominion fans, their team playing close, but falling short. Donohue says he's had a few bad years in his coaching career, some that equal the frustration of the current season, but he knows no other way than to stay the course and keep coming back.
"We have to play together, we have to stay together, we have to work together. There is no other option," he pointed out. "Is it frustrating? Absolutely. Is it challenging? Absolutely. Is it what any of us envisioned? Absolutely not, but there's nowhere else I would've rather been tonight than out here coaching basketball and I don't think there's anywhere those 13, 14 guys in the locker room would rather be than out here playing college basketball."
With the loss, Old Dominion has lost at least 20 games in a campaign for the first time since the 2012-2013 season. The Monarchs host Georgia State this Saturday at 7:00 PM, looking to avenge a 77-70 loss in Atlanta from last month.
