NORFOLK — En’Dya Buford finished with 12 points and Kelsey Thompson chipped in with 11 as the Old Dominion women strolled to an 85-48 win over North Carolina Central Sunday afternoon at Chartway Arena.
“We wanted to double down on our efforts that we showed against (East Carolina),” Monarchs coach DeLisha Milton-Jones said. “And to come back home in front of our faithful fans and be able to put on a display was tremendous for our team.”
The Monarchs (5-1), who beat East Carolina 73-67, limited NC Central to 21.2% from the floor and forced 20 turnovers.
Nissa Muhammad poured in six points to fuel a 12-1 run during the final five-plus minutes as the Monarchs jumped out to a 23-6 lead after the first quarter. Muhammad, a sophomore, finished with a career-high eight points.
Six players scored during the first period for the hosts, who limited N.C. Central to 2-of-14 shooting in the opening 10 minutes.
En’Dya Buford drilled a trey to snap a scoring drought through nearly the first four minutes of the second quarter, while a late 3-pointer by Dalanna Carter and a driving layup by Nevaeh Scott propelled the Monarchs to a 40-20 halftime lead.
Simaru Fields and Buford hit back-to-back treys to spur an 8-0 run less than two minutes into the third quarter, and a layup by Nakiyah Allen extended the Monarchs’ lead to 54-24 midway through the period.
“I told them they did a great job, and it’s just about maintaining their discipline,” Milton-Jones said. “They’re going to bring more pressure, get in the passing lanes more, drive even harder and to crash the glass relentlessly. So if we know these things are true, then let’s go out, be disciplined and stop it.”
Alisha Nunley sparked a 13-3 run to close out the game, sinking a 3-pointer with 3:07 remaining and then drilling a pull-up jumper with 21 seconds remaining for the final bucket.
Eleven players scored and 14 got floor minutes for the Monarchs. Junior transfer Riley Stack totaled a career-high six blocks.
“It’s tremendous for us to have as many people become acclimated to the season,” Milton-Jones said. “To touch the floor, get and make shots and get hit on defense, that really prepares you for what’s to come and opens you up to every aspect of what the season can present to you. I love it when we can throw bodies on the floor and there’s no drop of play.”
Tierney Coleman led the Eagles (1-5) with 11 points.
The Monarchs next travel to the Hoopfest Challenge in Frisco, Texas, where they’ll face Texas Tech at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and then Oregon at noon Thursday. ODU returns home on Dec. 1 to host Delaware State at 6:30 p.m.
“We had more players that didn’t have to play a lot of minutes because everyone got an opportunity to get on the floor and play,” Milton-Jones said. “Those that needed to get a rhythm got it, and those that wanted to maintain their levels of flow achieved that. Now we’re able to go into Tuesday with fresher legs and more confidence.”
https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/11/23/odu-women-cruise-to-fifth-consecutive-victory/
