HOLLINGSWORTH'S 22 POINTS NOT ENOUGH IN 81-70 LOSS TO OLD DOMINION
1-4-07
Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Commonwealth University sophomore Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) and junior forward Krystal Vaughn (Baltimore, Md./Lake Clifton-Eastern) turned in solid performances, but Old Dominion junior T.J. Jordan stole the show with seven 3-pointers to spark the Lady Monarchs to an 81-70 win Thursday at the Alltel Pavilion.

VCU slips to 7-5 overall and 0-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association with the defeat. Old Dominion, the conference’s 15-time defending champion, improves to 5-7, including 1-0 in the league.

Hollingsworth led the Rams with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Vaughn was close behind with 21 and boards to keep VCU within striking distance.

However, it was Jordan’s night. The 5-8 guard stung the Black and Gold for 25 points, including 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range in the first half, on the way to a 40-28 Lady Monarch advantage.

She finished the night 7-of-13 from three-point land and was 9-of-16 overall from the floor. Jordan proved clutch, killing several VCU comebacks in their tracks.

VCU jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the opening minutes on the strength of two Hollingsworth buckets, but then Jordan began her assault. Her first 3-pointer knotted the game at 7-7 with 15:03 remaining. Erasing the Rams’ final lead of the game.

Later, with the Black and Gold rallying to within 19-18, Jordan was there, canning a trey to keep VCU at bay. She struck again with a 3-pointer that pushed the margin to 27-18 with 6:08 showing.

 VCU would chip away, getting four straight Hollingsworth points to close to within 29-24. Jordan had an answer again, draining back-to-back 3-pointers as the ODU lead swelled to 35-24 at the 2:45 mark.

VCU opened the second period with six straight points, capped by Hollingsworth’s traditional three-point play, to slice the deficit to 40-34.  It would prove to be the Rams’ last real threat, as ODU senior Tish Lyons scored four points during a 6-0 burst to turn VCU away. The Rams would get no closer than nine points the rest of the night and trailed by as many as 19.

Lyons added 14 points for the Lady Monarchs, while senior guard Michele Cosel (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) chipped in with 11 for VCU.

The Rams hit the road for their next match-up, when they take on Hofstra on Sunday, Jan. 7 in Hempstead, N.Y. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.