Old Dominion downs American in WNIT opener

It wasn't pretty, but.... Wait a minute. This is tournament time. Surviving and advancing is all that matters. Old Dominion 63, American 55. We'll take it. Who's next?

A few stray thoughts:

- At times Wednesday - particularly in the first half - ODU (19-13) displayed a lethal fastbreak. Too often this season there have been only three problems with the Lady Monarchs in transition - the pass, the catch and the finish. But during one enjoyable stretch of the first half, ODU handled all three expertly. Tia Lewis was particularly strong on the catch and finish - she speared a couple of passes out of the air as smoothly as a first baseman snagging a throw from shortstop.

- One of these days, Lewis is going to realize she's got all the physical tools to be a truly dominant player - and for a whole game, not just stretches.

- Although Wendy Larry no doubt had a ton of other things on her mind Wednesday, her green blouse signaled she didn't forget it was St. Patrick's Day.

- Nice to see former Princess Anne High star Raven Harris back in the 757. But it didn't take long for ODU's fans to let her know she was wearing the wrong colors. About two minutes into the game, after ODU's Kquanise Byrd rejected a Harris layup, one Lady Monarchs leatherlung bellowed, "Get that weak ---- outta here!

- Twenty-three ODU turnovers? Ugh. And no disrespect to American, but it's not like the Lady Monarchs were facing the Rutgers 55 press. We realize this ODU team is going to cough it up every now and then. But 23 times is way too much against this team. It's the single biggest reason why ODU won by 8 instead of 18-plus.

- Attendance: 790. Granted, most people didn't realize the game would be played until Tuesday. Granted, many ODU fans are in New Orleans preparing for the men's team in the NCAAs. And granted, there's a lot of disappointment over not making the NCAAs. But 790? C'mon, Lady Monarchs Nation.

- Next up for ODU - the winner of Thursday's Providence at Boston University first-round game, most likely either Sunday or Monday. This much is certain - ODU will be traveling somewhere for the contest, as the Constant Center will be booked solid during this time.