FORT WAYNE, IN (WTKR)- The first half of Old Dominion's WNIT showdown with Purdue-Fort Wayne looked like a classic finish might be in the works.
Then the third quarter happened.
The Mastodons used a 19-3 run in the frame to pull away and handed the Monarchs one of their worst defeats of the season, 87-61, in the WNIT Tuesday night. ODU's season came to an end with an 18-16 record and the silver and blue's streak of consecutive seasons of 20 or more wins was snapped at three.
The two teams battled back and forth for the duration of the first two quarters. Simone Cunningham's heads-up lay-up off a deflection put the Monarchs in front, 17-15, after the opening stanza. En'Dya Buford connected on a three-pointer late in the second quarter to give ODU a 34-31 lead, but Fort Wayne tied it to send the teams into halftime knotted up at 34 apiece.
The third quarter is where the wheels fell off for the silver and blue. With Old Dominion trailing, 39-38, the Mastodons ended the frame on a 19-3 run, shooting 9-of-18 from the floor during the quarter and 6-of-12 from three-point range. The defense held the Monarchs to just 2-of-13 shooting during the quarter and the home squad cruised to survive and advance in the WNIT bracket.
The Monarchs shot just 31 percent for the game and committed 18 turnovers that led to 18 Fort Wayne points.
Simaru Fields led ODU with 15 points, while Cunningham added 14 points and 12 boards. Burford rounded out the Monarchs in double-figures with 11 points.
