THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 10, 1995 TAG: 9503100474
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
For the past week, Misty Hart's shooting touch has been missing in action.
It came back at the best time Thursday night.
Although Hart played just 13 minutes, the freshman scored a career-high 15 points off the bench to lead host Old Dominion to a 73-44 win over UNC Wilmington in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.
The Lady Monarchs (25-5, 14-1) will face William and Mary, a 62-56 winner over George Mason, tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals.
``I was a little shocked. I haven't had very strong practices lately,'' Hart said of her breakthrough performance. ``I haven't shot well in practice, and I didn't shoot well in warmups (today) either.
``It just kind of hit me.''
Hart was 6 for 10 from the floor, including 3 for 5 from behind the 3-point arc.
The Lady Monarchs' signature pressure man-to-man defense rattled UNC Wilmington (4-23, 3-12) early. ODU went on a 13-2 run to open the game and held the Lady Seahawks to just six shots in the first 10 minutes.
ODU extended its lead to as much as 17 in the first half and led comfortably, 33-18, at the break.
From there, the Lady Monarchs' bench took over. A jumper by Hart at 11:50 pushed ODU's lead over 20 points, 50-29. Beth McGowan scored seven points in a 90-second span that bumped the lead up to a game-high 33, 73-40, with two minutes left to play.
``It certainly is nice to have a bench,'' said ODU coach Wendy Larry. ``I felt like we wanted to get in as many people as we could. It was important for them to get a feel for the tournament early.''
Ten Lady Monarchs reached double figures in minutes played.
``I may have even oversubstituted, and that might have hurt the flow a little,'' Larry said.
Clarisse Machanguana scored 14 and Ticha Penicheiro added 12 for the Lady Monarchs.
Tara Spencer and Hannah Grady both scored 12 for UNC Wilmington. Grady, Tiffany Stacey, and Heather Starck each grabbed eight rebounds.
ODU forced the Lady Seahawks into 25 turnovers and had 18 steals. The Lady Monarchs outrebounded UNC Wilmington, 47-38, including a career-high eight boards by forward Stacy Himes.
``We just played a team that's a lot better than us,'' UNC Wilmington coach Susan Yow said. ``They're by far the best team in the league.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
LAWRENCE JACKSON/Staff
Toni Esposito of UNC Wilmington, right, attempts to gain control
against Sarah Willyard of Old Dominion, which next faces W&M.
by CNB