PENSACOLA, FL. (WTKR) – After months of seeing breaks go the wrong way, it appeared Old Dominion persuaded Lady Luck to finally lean its way on Tuesday night in its Sun Belt Tournament opener.
Instead, the Monarchs were forced to deal with one more bout of heartbreak in a season filled with adversity on and off the floor.
A halfcourt heave from Chaunce Jenkins at the buzzer was waved off, forcing ODU to go to overtime with Texas State where it would ultimately fall 92-83.
The loss brings the season to a close at just 7-25.
The Monarchs rolled early on, grabbing a 38-28 lead at halftime and growing the lead to 12 five minutes into the second half.
Even when the Bobcats began to close the gap the silver and blue kept making plays, particularly guard Tyrone Williams. The transfer from Oregon made multiple crucial baskets down the stretch, including a putback with 1:43 to go to give ODU a 71-69 lead.
Just three games after setting his career-high against Coastal Carolina, Williams would top it with a 36-point performance in the first round matchup.
After Texas State knotted things up at 71, Devin Ceaser nailed a three to put up ODU up 74-71 with 1:00 remaining. Needing a stop, however, the Monarchs saw Bobcat sharpshooter Coleton Benson hit on a triple of his own to tie things right back up.
The 11th seeded Bobcats had the chance to take the final shot of the game but missed. RJ Blakney grabbed the offensive rebound and found Jenkins, who took three dribble and shot as the horn sounded just a few steps behind the midcourt logo.
His shot banked in, sending the Monarchs running out onto the floor in celebration. The replay, however, showed Jenkins still had the ball in his shooting motion as the time expired.
In the overtime period, ODU could not find a way to stop Texas State from scoring. The 11-seed hit three of its four field goals and went 12-12 from the free throw line in the final five minutes.
The defensive issues became a theme in the second half for the Monarchs. After shooting less than 36 percent from the floor in the opening half, TXST shot nearly 52 percent for the rest of the game. They would also live at the free throw line, shooting 46 foul shots for the game compared to 24 for ODU.
Along with his 36 points, Williams would grab seven rebounds and tally four steals. He shot 15-29 from the field in the game.
Ceaser finished with 18 points, the only other Monarch to hit double digits in scoring. ODU would turn the ball over 18 times in the game, leading to 18 points off those takeaways for Texas State.
With the loss, a new era arrives for Old Dominion. Former guard Mike Jones takes over as the program's new head coach. He met with the team on Saturday after his introductory press conference on Friday. He'll return to Norfolk after finishing up his season as an assistant with Maryland.
