NORFOLK, Va. (WTKR) — After putting up one of its best three-point shooting games of the season, Old Dominion got itself a shot to notch a buzzer beater with another long-range shot.
At the worst time, an ODU three finally wouldn't fall.
Despite going 11-23 from the three-point line, the silver and blue unable to put Central Michigan away, falling 58-57 on Saturday in its second game of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
"We walked out of here tonight without the result we wanted but our kids are competing, they're sticking together," said ODU interim coach Kieran Donohue.
Electing not to use its final timeout, the Monarchs put the ball in the hands of Chaunce Jenkins after CMU missed a free throw with 17 seconds to play. Jenkins tried to create a shot off the dribble before taking a stepback three that was too strong as time expired.
Jenkins, who led the way with 16 points and hit three triples in the game, was held without a shot for more than nine minutes prior his last-second attempt.
"They're best when their defense is set," Donohue said. "I thought we came down and we had them spread out on the floor. We had the ball in our best player's hands. I would've liked for us to attack better. I would've liked for us to put more pressure on them in hindsight.
"But I trust Chaunce a lot."
After going to halftime tied up at 29-29, the two teams traded the lead back and forth throughout the second half until ODU took a 49-45 lead off a Jenkins three and RJ Blakney layup.
That's when CMU went on an 11-1 run over a five minute stretch to retake a 56-51 advantage with 2:55 left to go.
The game presented a strange juxtaposition for ODU, which found a rhythm early from three but had difficulty finishing shots at the rim. The Monarchs shot nearly 48 percent from beyond the arc but only hit 27 percent of their two-point shots.
Free throws also became a factor of separation for the visitors. The Chippewas going 14-22 from the line while the Monarchs attempted just seven foul shots, making four of them.
"I think we played hard throughout the whole 40 minutes maybe for the first time this year," said forward Jason Wade, who grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. "But losing is never fun. It definitely hurts but definitely proud of the guys as well."
Blakney and Tyrone Williams each put up 12 points in the loss. It's the third time this season ODU has made 11 three-pointers in a game, along with a road contests with Arkansas and William & Mary.
"We shot the ball very well from three for us," Donohue said. "There's more examples of good team basketball and it led to a lot of those shots and assists. But if you do the math and you take the threes out, that means there are a lot of twos that didn't go in the basket."
The heartbreaker kicks off a five-game homestand for ODU (6-19, 2-10 in Sun Belt), which picks back up Thursday against Louisiana.
"A different result would be a bigger step forward. We're not naïve enough not to understand that or appreciate that," Donohue said. "But our kids are battling and competing and fighting through a ton of adversity. And as long as we do that, that’s always a step forward."
"I think the guys on our team answered the bell in terms of playing tough out there," Wade said. "The execution just a has to be better and shots have to fall."
