ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 4, 1997 TAG: 9703040105
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
Odell Hodge jumped, threw his arms in the air and then took off, jumping over the press table and running down the aisle.
After scoring the winning points for Old Dominion on Monday night in the Colonial Athletic Association championship game, the Monarchs' forward said he wanted to be alone, if only for a minute, to savor the victory.
``I can't really put it into too many words right now, but it means a whole lot,'' Hodge said after the Monarchs beat James Madison 62-58 in overtime.
Hodge's layup off a pass from E.J. Sherod as the shot clock wound down gave Old Dominion all it needed to clinch an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. And it gave coach Jeff Capel reason to praise both seniors.
``I think this is the crown on his career,'' Capel said of Hodge, a former Laurel Park High School star and the CAA's player of the year. ``He's won so many individual awards. In four years of college, he's been player of the year twice. He was rookie of the year. But he'd never won a championship. The team wanted to win for Odell Hodge.''
Sherod, a 64 percent free throw shooter, made three straight after being fouled on a 3-point try with 35.9 seconds left to force the overtime.
``He's done it for four years,'' Capel said. ``Whatever it takes, whatever play needs to be made, he's done it. To step up and make three free throws at that juncture takes a lot of courage and shows a lot of heart.''
The Monarchs (22-10) beat the Dukes and coach Lefty Driesell in the CAA title games for the third time in six years. The Dukes (16-13) have won only one league crown despite playing for it six times in the last eight seasons.
The Dukes missed 10-of-18 free throws, including two in the final two minutes of regulation. Old Dominion made 5-of-5 in the last 1:08.
``We made some errors there at the end, they capitalized on them and they deserved to win,'' Driesell said. ``We make our free throws, we win.''
Hodge had 16 points on 8-of-17 shooting, 18 rebounds to match his career high and five of Old Dominion's 10 blocks. James Madison had no blocks.
``He's a stud,'' Driesell said. ``He's just hard to stop.''
James Madison led 56-55 after Eugene Atkinson's 3-pointer with 1:57 left in overtime, but Reggie Bassette scored on a putback 36 seconds later.
Then Hodge took over.
First, he tied up Chatney Howard on a drive to the hoop, earning the Monarchs the ball because the possession arrow was pointing their way.
Then he took Sherod's pass, banked it off the glass and the Monarchs led 59-56. Two free throws by Mike Byers with 11.9 seconds left sealed it.
Howard finished with 18 points to lead the Dukes, and Atkinson had 12.
Byers had 14 and Brion Dunlap 12 for Old Dominion. NOTE: please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. 1. Old Dominion's Brion Dunlap looks to pass theby CNBball in the first half as James Madison's Charles Lott defends.
color. 2. ODU's Odell Hodge, a former star at Laurel Park High
School, celebrate's his team's CAA tournament championship.