ODU Men's Basketball Loses Double-OT Heartbreaker
Old Dominion University's men's basketball team lost a tight home game to conference-leader Troy, falling 83-77 in double overtime. The hard-fought defeat impacts the Monarchs' standing as they head into the final stretch of the conference season.
The January 21st clash at Chartway Arena drew a crowd of 5,263 who witnessed a back-and-forth contest with 10 ties and 15 lead changes. Despite a struggling season, Old Dominion pushed the defending Sun Belt Conference champions to their limit. ODU's KC Shaw, a transfer from Maryland-Eastern Shore, delivered a heroic performance, pouring in a career-high 34 points while often facing double-teams from the Trojans. For Troy, the victory was a team effort, with Theo Seng securing a double-double of 24 points and a career-best 14 rebounds, complemented by Thomas Dowd's 12 points and 15 boards. The Monarchs had a chance to seal the win in regulation, holding a four-point lead with 2:30 left on the clock. However, a crucial missed free throw by ODU with 15 seconds remaining opened the door for Troy's Thomas Dowd to hit a turnaround jumper with four seconds left, tying the game at 64 and forcing the first overtime. After a tense first overtime where each team managed only one field goal, a potential game-winning three-pointer from Troy's Theo Seng rimmed out at the buzzer. In the second overtime, Troy quickly established a five-point lead and held on for the win, aided by clutch free-throw shooting. A significant disparity at the free-throw line proved costly for Old Dominion. The Monarchs were outscored 29-18 from the charity stripe, a critical margin in a game that extended to 50 minutes of play. The tough loss dropped ODU to a 6-15 overall record and 3-6 in the Sun Belt at the time. They would finish the regular season with an 11-20 overall record and a 7-11 conference slate, securing the #11 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament. Troy concluded their regular season at 20-11 (12-6 in conference), earning the top seed.
