TOWSON, Md. - Led by 6-10 senior Gerald Lee, who scored a game high 19 points, Old Dominion University (10-5, 2-1) used a dominating inside game to hand the Tigers (3-9, 0-3) an 87-71 loss in a Colonial Athletic Association game at the Towson Center on Monday night.
The Monarchs, who were selected as the pre-season favorites to win the CAA championship, outrebounded the Tigers by a 44-23 margin as they won their sixth game in their last eight outings. Lee was one of four Monarchs to score in double figures and he was one of three ODU players with a team high seven rebounds.
The game was marred by the ejection of Towson Head Coach Pat Kennedy, who was assessed two technical fouls. It marked only the second time in Kennedy's 893-game coaching career that he was ejected. When he picked up his first technical foul with 10:20 remaining in the game, the Tigers were down by just 59-49.
When official Wally Rutecki called the Tiger coach for his second technical foul with 8:48 remaining, the Monarchs extended their lead to 67-52.
Associate Head Coach Jim Meil coached the Tigers over the final 8:48.
As a team, the Tigers had three technical fouls in the game. Sophomore guard Troy Franklin was also called for a technical foul in the first half.
After scoring the first seven points of the game to grab a 7-0 lead, the Monarchs never trailed in the contest. However, ODU was forced to turn back several comeback bids by Towson.
Trailing by 38-31 at halftime, the Tigers scored the first five points of the second half to cut their deficit to 38-36 with 18:56 remaining.
ODU wasted little time in restoring its seven-point lead as junior forward Frank Hassell scored on a rebound layup and Lee nailed a three-pointer to make it a 43-36 advantage with 17:59 to play.
With 14:41 left in the game, junior Jarrel Smith connected on a three-pointer to pull the Tigers within 47-45. However, the Monarchs responded with a 22-7 run over the next six minutes to build a 69-52 edge. Kennedy was called for the two technical fouls during the decisive run, which included a three-point basket by junior guard Ben Finney.
"Our guys fought real hard and we did cut into the lead in the second half," said Kennedy. "We started to get some momentum. Then we had a couple of turnovers that led to a couple of buckets for them. Obviously, rebounding is killing us."
Facing a 17-point deficit, the Tigers answered with a 10-0 run. A three-point basket by senior Josh Thornton pulled Towson to within 69-62 with 6:15 left in the game.
But, a three-point play by Hassell with 5:35 remaining gave ODU a 74-64 advantage as the Tigers never threatened again.
The Monarchs, who shot 54 per cent from the field in the win, scored 46 points in the paint. In the second half, Old Dominion made 17 of 28 field goal attempts (60.7%).
Finney added 17 points on seven-for-nine shooting from the field and made three of five three-pointers for ODU. Hassell added 15 points and seven rebounds while junior Keyon Carter scored six points with seven rebounds.
Sophomore guard Kent Bazemore also had a big game for the Monarchs. He scored a career high 14 points with a career best eight assists.
Junior forward Robert Nwankwo led the Tigers with 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the floor. He also led the Tigers with eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Thornton added 13 points as he made four of eight three-pointers. Smith also scored in double figures for the Tigers, who dropped their fourth game in a row.
For Old Dominion, the win was its 21st victory in 22 all-time games against Towson. Old Dominion is now 8-0 against the Tigers in the Towson Center.
The Tigers return to action on Wednesday night at Hofstra University.
