DATE: Sunday, March 16, 1997                TAG: 9703160163

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: PITTSBURGH                        LENGTH:   94 lines

MONARCHS RALLIED FROM HORRID SLUMP

At times Friday night, it seemed one key basket was all it would take to propel Old Dominion to an upset of New Mexico in the NCAA tournament.

It could have been Mark Poag's wide-open 3-pointer in transition with about 5:20 remaining that would have put the Monarchs, the East Regional's 14th-seed, up by two points over the No. 3 seed. When that missed, the Pittsburgh Civic Center's underdog-loving crowd of 17,509 groaned audibly.

It could have been Odell Hodge's hook shot in the lane over double coverage with about 90 seconds remaining that would have tied the game. Or it could have been Brion Dunlap's drive to the basket for another shot to tie it at about the 1-minute mark that was rejected by David Gibson. New Mexico recovered the ball and Royce Olney went right by Hodge in transition for a layup and 53-49 lead with 48 seconds left.

And finally, it could have been E.J. Sherod's awkward leaner in the lane in the closing seconds, which also would have tied the game.

But none of those big shots fell, and consequently ODU fell from the tournament.

The Monarchs' 59-55 loss to New Mexico was a game in which neither team could get into an offensive flow and both teams' top scorers struggled. Despite sub-par outings by its stars and playing from behind for all but one brief moment of the first half, ODU hung around and had a shot at the end.

``This was a game where we scrapped and clawed as hard as any game we've played all year long,'' ODU coach Jeff Capel said.

In that there was some solace for the Monarchs. Just five weeks ago, after a 28-point loss to William and Mary, Capel had questioned their heart and toughness. They remedied that heart condition in the final weeks of the season, winning seven in a row heading into the NCAA tournament.

It was a bit of a herky-jerky season for ODU (22-11).

The Monarchs began 13-3, the program's best start since the 1979-80 team jumped out to a 20-3 record. But then ODU went in a tailspin, losing seven of its next nine and dropping into fifth place in the Colonial Athletic Association.

The Monarchs recovered from that to win seven in a row, finishing first in the conference in the regular season and then winning the tournament in Richmond. ODU reached the 20-victory plateau for the fourth time in five seasons, a first for the program.

``I think we accomplished a whole lot,'' said Hodge, who led ODU to an 84-44 record during his career. ``We got complacent a little bit, a little big-headed and we went into a slump - which all teams do if you start taking things for granted. Then we really started buckling down and made our stretch run to try to get into the NCAA tournament.''

They got there largely because of CAA Player of the Year Hodge, a senior. But Hodge, whose talent and character will long be remembered by ODU fans, bowed out with one of the more forgettable performances of his career. He scored seven points on 3-of-10 shooting and grabbed three rebounds in the loss to the Lobos. He came in averaging 18.4 points and 8.8 rebounds.

``It was hard, especially the way it ended,'' said Hodge, who has already accepted invitations to play before NBA scouts at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and in the more-prestigious pre-draft event in Phoenix. ``I knew I was ready to play, I just couldn't get anything going inside. You've got to credit New Mexico for the game plan they played. But if I'm going to go out a loser, I wanted to go out fighting and swinging.''

Hodge concluded his career third on ODU's career charts for scoring (2,117), rebounding (1,086) and blocked shots (286). He became the first ODU player to total 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

Hodge and versatile reserve E.J. Sherod were ODU's only seniors, which means ODU will return four starters. The Monarchs expected to return next year provided 64 percent of the points, 69 percent of the rebounds and 78 percent of the assists this year.

Seven of the 10 scholarship players were freshmen or sophomores. They will be joined by a couple of highly regarded guards in recruit Michael Williams and junior college transfer Brett Harper, plus another post player in Paul Reed. The Monarchs have two more scholarships available that they could fill in the spring signing period.

``With the players we have coming in and the players we have returning, I think we can be a good team next year,'' Capel said.

ODU will need inside scoring in Hodge's absence, and also needs a more consistent jump shooter. Capel said a couple of the sophomores - Poag and Mike Byers on the perimeter and Cal Bowdler, Skipper Youngblood and Reggie Bassette on the interior - must continue to develop.

``I think our inside game is not going to be as weak as people think it's going to be because Odell's gone,'' Bassette said.

Hodge agreed.

``I think the emergence of Cal Bowdler is going to be unbelievable,'' Hodge said. ``I think this guy is ready to play. He's shown in spurts that he can do it.

``It's going to be fun to watch next year to see how these guys develop. Reggie is going to be a force on defense, Skipper is getting confidence now with his offensive game.

``I think they're going to be a good team. I think they'll definitely contend and defend our championship.''

Dunlap, the junior point guard, said that should be everyone's motivation to work hard in the offseason.

``Now that we have a taste of success, hopefully we can build on it and get back to this position and make this an annual thing for this program,'' Dunlap said.

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