After winning its first game against Loyola by a single point in its home opener, the Tribe lost to Old Dominion University, 65-58, Monday night in its first away game of the season. The loss drops the College to 1-1 on the season.
Old Dominion began the game with a run, holding the lead until the Tribe’s sophomore guard Marlena Tremba’s two three-pointers gave the Tribe a short-lived one point lead six minutes into the game.
Soon after, a Monarchs’ free throw evened the score at 10 apiece. The following five minutes were tit-for-tat as each team answered the other. The lead changed six times within the first 11 minutes until Old Dominion’s Tiffany Minor shot a three-pointer at the 10:88 mark. The shot propelled an Old Dominion run to a 34-26 lead at the end of the first half.
While the College outscored the Monarchs 32-31 in the second half, it was unable to overcome the first-half deficit. Rebounds and fouls played major roles in the outcome.
The Monarchs controlled the boards with a 47-25 rebound advantage. The disadvantage continued a trend from last season in which the Tribe averaged nearly 13 fewer rebounds per game than its opponent. Neither team shot particularly well from the free throw line Monday — the Monarchs shot 62.5 percent from the charity stripe, scoring 15 points, while the Tribe shot 58.3 percent, sinking only seven free throws.
Old Dominion committed 25 turnovers to the Tribe’s 12 but fought through the errors. The College, however, outplayed the Monarchs in terms of steals, totaling 15 to Old Dominion’s seven.
Still, the Tribe could not keep up with the Monarchs’ shooting accuracy. While the College had more opportunities to score, it failed to capitalize on several integral opportunities. The Tribe hit just 23 of 62 attempted field goals, while the Monarchs hit 21 of 47, good for a 44.7 percent clip. Additionally, the Tribe shot 38.5 percent from beyond the arc, as compared to the Monarchs, who shot 53.3 percent.
The Monarchs’ Jennie Simms led her team in scoring and rebounds, tallying 15 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Jazmen Boone led the Tribe in scoring, recording 16 points, while sophomore forward Alexandra Masaquel led in rebounds with eight, a career high for the Honolulu, Hi. native.
Tremba, last season’s Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year, led the College in assists, totaling five, and trailed behind Boone by only two points as the Tribe’s second leading scorer of the game.
The College faces another road game at North Carolina A&T Friday and will attempt to rectify its away performance from last season. The Tribe won only one of its 12 away games. The College faced North Carolina A&T once last season, losing by two points, 60-58, with now-sophomore guard Latrice Hunter leading the team with 17 points.
The Tribe concludes its North Carolina tour with a game against High Point Sunday. The College played High Point only once last year, losing by a single point, 61-60, with now-senior guard Kyla Kerstetter leading with 20 points. Finally, the Tribe returns to Kaplan Arena Wednesday for its second home game of the season against Virginia Commonwealth University. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.