Virginia-Old Dominion Preview

3/24/2008 5:27 PM

By KATE HEDLIN
STATS Writer

Despite one of the worst games of Monica Wright's career, Virginia cruised to an easy win in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The fourth-seeded Cavaliers know they can't afford another subpar game by their leading scorer Tuesday as they visit fifth-seeded Old Dominion in a matchup of in-state rivals.

Old Dominion is looking to extend a 25-game home winning streak. The Lady Monarchs have not lost at home since a 75-59 loss to then-No. 5 Tennessee on Dec. 22, 2006. This season, they are 15-0 and outscoring the opposition by an average margin of 24.3 points.

Wright entered the tournament averaging 18.2 points per game, but fell far short of that mark in Virginia's 86-52 win over UC Santa Barbara in the first round.

The sophomore guard finished with six points and five rebounds, but shot 0-for-10 from the floor and failed to make a field goal for the first time in 67 college games. Wright had averaged 24.0 points in the five games going into the NCAA tournament.

Even without Wright contributing, Virginia (24-9) had an easy time against the overmatched Gauchos. Lyndra Littles had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Aisha Mohammed added 15 points.

The win was the first in the NCAA tournament for Virginia - which had missed the tourney the last two seasons - since a 79-57 victory over Old Dominion on March 19, 2005.

"We can't take possessions off," senior guard Sharnee Zoll said. "Every possession is going to matter because if you lose, you're done. There is no tomorrow. That is the main thing I will preach. There has to be a sense of urgency. I have been feeling like that all year. You never know what day is going to be your last. Every game is the last of something. I don't want this to be my last game."

This is the 31st meeting between Virginia and Old Dominion (30-4). The Lady Monarchs hold a 16-14 advantage all-time, but the Cavaliers have won five straight, including the most recent matchup in 2006.

"They're a great team," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said of Old Dominion. "They've got all the pieces. It's going to be a battle on Tuesday night, so we are going to have to be very, very prepared and very ready to play."

The Lady Monarchs advanced Sunday with a 82-62 first-round win over Liberty. Shahida Williams scored 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting to lead Old Dominion.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak in first-round games for the Lady Monarchs, and was their first tournament win in any round since an 88-62 victory over Kansas State in the 2002 regional finals.

"It was always kind of the monkey on our backs," said senior Megan Pym, who had seven blocked shots along with 10 rebounds.

The victory was the 24th in 25 games overall for the Lady Monarchs, whose only loss during that stretch was to James Madison on March 2.