Lady Monarchs Thump Seahawks

No. 14 Old Dominion 82, UNC-Wilmington 65

NEWARK, Del. -- Old Dominion doesn't expect to win every game by a sizable margin. It simply expects to win.

Tiffany Green had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Shahida Williams added 16 points and 11 rebounds and top-seeded Old Dominion built a big lead and held off UNC Wilmington 82-65 in the quarterfinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament on Friday.

Jessica Canady added 14 points and T.J. Jordan had 12 for the Lady Monarchs (27-4), who improved to 48-0 in CAA tournament games and 37-0 all-time against the Seahawks.

'I think what helps is we have experience in the tournament," Old Dominion coach Wendy Larry said. "It's not just the first round or the second round, but we have players who have been in the finals. I think that helps."

It was the 21st victory in 22 games for Old Dominion, which has won an NCAA record 16 CAA tournament championships. The Lady Monarchs will play the winner of fourth-seeded Drexel and fifth-seeded Towson in the semifinals Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

"I don't pay attention to that (records)," Green said. "I just come out and play and focus on my game."

Greta Luksyte scored 16 points, Brittany Blackwell added 13 and Shade Smith had 11 for UNC Wilmington (17-14), which lost for the third time this season to Old Dominion. Sahsha Taylor also contributed 10 points for the Seahawks.

"There's a reason why they're the No. 14 team in the country," UNC-Wilmington coach Ann Hancock said. "They're big, athletic and quick. They keep coming at you in waves."

The Lady Monarchs went ahead 71-51 on a 3-pointer by Megan Pym with 6:05 remaining.

But UNC-Wilmington responded with a quick 10-0 run -- four points by Taylor, four by Candace Walker and two by Blackwell -- to close within 71-61 with 3:28 left.

Old Dominion came right back with a 7-0 run, six by Green, to pull ahead 78-61.

"You're going to have to take some punches in tournament time," Larry said. "We have to answer the energy level bell."

Old Dominion jumped out to a 17-4 lead and led 37-21 at halftime.

The Lady Monarchs shot 52 percent (15-of-29) while UNC Wilmington struggled, as it missed 18 of 23 shots (22 percent). The Seahawks misfired on 15 of their first 16 attempts and wound up committing 17 turnovers in the first half.

"I really didn't expect us to be as tight and nervous as we were when they came out," Hancock said.