Thursday, January 20, 2011

(600th) Win-day for Wendy?

Thursday's games

Virginia Commonwealth (9-6, 4-1 CAA) at Old Dominion (11-5, 5-0 CAA), 7 p.m.
Two major sources of motivation for the Lady Monarchs tonight. A victory would be the 600th in Division I for ODU coach Wendy Larry, something you may have read a few words about this week. Also, the last time the Rams visited the Constant Center, they beat the Lady Monarchs in Norfolk for the first time since 1972-73. Beat 'em bad, too -  75-56, ODU's worst-ever CAA loss at the Constant Center. We'll never forget Larry's words in the aftermath: "Too many opponents think they can come in here and make a name for themselves. Today, it just didn't seem to be important enough to us." We suspect the Lady Monarchs will make defending the home court much more of a priority tonight. ODU 69, VCU 63

William and Mary (1-14, 0-5 CAA) at James Madison (11-6, 4-1 CAA), 7 p.m.
When these teams met two weeks ago - crazy scheduling, huh? - the Tribe fell behind and were forced into a shootout. That was fine with the Dukes, as five players scored in double figures in the 89-75 victory. Senior center Lauren Jimenez finished with a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, but hasn't played since while dealing with concussion-like symptoms. JMU says Jimenez may make her return tonight. The Tribe is coming off a heartbreaking 59-58 loss to Drexel, a game that went the other way when the Dragons' Kamile Nacickaite drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer. It was the Tribe's fourth loss this season either in overtime or on the last possession, so it's clear this isn't your garden-variety 1-14 team. Then again, former NFL coach Bill Parcells' famous line - "you are what your record says you are" - is the unfortunate reality. JMU 78, William and Mary 64

Drexel (11-5, 3-2 CAA) at George Mason (7-9, 1-4 CAA), 7 p.m.
The Patriots have lost four straight, but the games have been against ODU, VCU, UNC Wilmington and James Madison, the current top four teams in the conference (combined CAA record: 17-3). It doesn't get much easier tonight, either, as the Dragons continue to work around injuries and remain contenders as well. Drexel's unique style is problematic for most teams and has been particularly confounding to the Patriots, who have dropped eight straight in the series.  Drexel 58, George Mason 54

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