THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 7, 1995 TAG: 9501070352
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
With seven minutes left to play Friday night, Old Dominion had what seemed to be a comfortable 12-point lead over James Madison in the CAA conference opener. The Lady Monarchs had led by as much as 16 in the second half and used a suffocating man defense to keep the Dukes' vaunted perimeter attack at bay.
But for Old Dominion this season, no game is a done deal.
The Lady Monarchs went into a lull, and James Madison clawed its way back into the game. The Dukes cut the lead to two with four seconds left to play, and a missed free throw gave James Madison a chance to tie. But a lane violation gave ODU another shot, and Clarisse Machanguana nailed both ends of a one-and-one to give the Lady Monarchs a 68-64 win.
``It doesn't always come down to luck, but we were fortunate considering Clarisse isn't our first option in that situation,'' Old Dominion head coach Wendy Larry said.
``We really didn't play well tonight, but the key for us was we didn't give up,'' Dukes coach Sheila Moorman said. ``I'm proud of the team for hanging in there, but I know we can play better.''
With the win, the Lady Monarchs (10-2) extended their Colonial Athletic Association winning streak to 41 games.
James Madison (6-5) took advantage of a jittery Lady Monarchs team and scored the first five points of the game. Tied at 7, Old Dominion capped a 10-2 run with Ticha Penicheiro's 3-pointer to buy some breathing room.
Machanguana led all scorers with 11 points in the first half and grabbed 12 rebounds. James Madison's five starters had 14 rebounds combined.
After the break the Dukes barely had time to blink before they found themselves down by 15 as ODU scored the first three baskets of the second half. A layup by Amber Eller off a no-look pass by Penicheiro gave the Lady Monarchs a 51-35 lead midway through the period.
Danielle Powell came off the bench and scored six points to bring James Madison closer, but Machanguana bumped the lead back up to 12, 60-48, with a layup at the 5:51 mark.
From then on, James Madison set the tempo. Krissy Heinbaugh nailed a 3-pointer to cut the lead to nine, 60-51, with five minutes left. The Dukes hit 7 of 8 free throws during an 11-4 run to close the gap to two points.
Penicheiro brought the ball down the court on the next possession, but the play broke down and Penicheiro couldn't find anyone open inside. She pulled up and hit a jumper to give ODU a 66-62 lead with 10 seconds left.
``I looked at the shot clock and saw there was 10 seconds left so I looked to the post,'' Penicheiro said. ``Esther (Benjamin) was there but someone was denying. I just saw a hole and went for it.''
Christina Lee's basket with four seconds left made it a two-point game, and James Madison fouled Machanguana, a 44 percent free-throw shooter. Machanguana missed the front of a one-and-one, but the Dukes were called for a lane violation.
Given a second chance, Machanguana converted both shots to seal the win for Old Dominion. ILLUSTRATION: JIM WALKER/Staff
ODU's Clarisse Machanguana, left, chases James Madison's Holly
Riliinger for the ball.
ODU 68
JMU 64
by CNB