THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 4, 1994 TAG: 9412040260
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
Esther Benjamin had a career night from the floor with 19 points, and Old Dominion had nine different players score as the Lady Monarchs wiped out Winthrop, 78-41, Saturday at the Field House.
With the victory, Old Dominion (4-0) equaled its best start under head coach Wendy Larry. The last time the Lady Monarchs won their first four games was the 1988-89 season, when Old Dominion won 14 of its first 16 and finished 23-9.
The Lady Monarchs had one of their best nights shooting against Winthrop, hitting 48.5 percent from the field and 70.6 percent from the line. Coming into the game, ODU's free-throw percentage was a dismal 40.6 percent.
Winthrop (1-2) stayed relatively close to the Lady Monarchs early and trailed 35-21 at the half. Old Dominion turned up the defensive pressure and held the Lady Eagles without a field goal for nearly six minutes until Stacey Milton scored on a layup with 1:22 left in the half.
The Lady Eagles still couldn't figure out Old Dominion's inside game in the second half, as Benjamin and post players Clarisse Machanguana, Nyree Roberts, and Sarah Willyerd paced the Lady Monarchs during a 15-5 run in the first seven minutes that opened up a 26-point lead.
Even though Old Dominion often had trouble finishing shots in the paint, the Lady Monarchs' defense held Winthrop in check down the stretch as the Lady Eagles shot 25 percent (6-for-24) from the floor in the second half.
``I thought our perimeter pressure was good . . . but we could have finished better,'' Larry said.
Point guard Ticha Penicheiro finished with seven assists but could have had twice that many if shots from under the basket had fallen.
``Ticha had some brilliant passes that didn't get finished,'' Larry said. Several were so spectacular they elicited gasps from the crowd.
Even Larry is sometimes awed by Penicheiro's skill. ``I have a great deal of respect for the floor vision she has.''
Benjamin's 19 points led all scorers. Her previous career-high was 10 points, set against American last season and equaled in the Lady Monarchs' 1994 opener against Syracuse.
Machanguana was bothered by a sore quadricep but scored 18 and pulled down 10 rebounds. Guard Amber Eller hade five points, five rebounds and five assists off the bench.
No Winthrop player scored in double figures; Carmen Thomas and Jennifer Castle led the Lady Eagles with 8 points apiece. Milton scored seven points and had a game-high 12 rebounds. by CNB