THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 28, 1995 TAG: 9511280426
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
It took a win over one of the top-ranked women's basketball teams in the country, but it seems Old Dominion has finally gotten noticed.
Hot on the heels of Sunday's stunning 67-64 victory over then-No. 2 Georgia, the Lady Monarchs moved to 21st in The Associated Press media poll.
``We're just happy to be there. At this point in time, we really weren't expecting anything,'' Lady Monarchs coach Wendy Larry said. ``I'm pleased we've gotten some consideration from the writers.''
Georgia fell to sixth.
Although 11 of the top 25 teams lost this past week, ODU was the only new team to crack the poll.
The Lady Monarchs didn't get this kind of national attention during the 1994-95 season until the last week, when the team was ranked 25th in the final AP poll.
Despite returning all five starters, ODU was not ranked in the preseason AP top 25.
``At the end of the season we were 25th in the poll, and we don't play a game and we fall out,'' Larry said.
ODU's win over the Lady Bulldogs was even more impressive considering that the team shot an anemic 37 percent (21 for 57) from the field. The Lady Monarchs won the game with defense and free-throw shooting, hitting an impressive 76 percent (22 of 29) from the foul line.
Asked after the game whether the victory would help ODU gain notice in the national arena, Larry hesitated.
``We've been taking steps to earn that kind of respect, but this win won't guarantee that,'' she said. ``This can't be a fluke.''
The Lady Monarchs left Monday for the West Coast. The team plays California on Wednesday and 11th-ranked Stanford on Friday. by CNB