Feb. 21, 2011
Contact: Brian McCann
NORFOLK, Va. - Norris Cole scored 35 points, including 24 in the first half, but it was not enough to overcome the relentless rebounding of Old Dominion, as the Monarchs claimed a 74-63 victory in a Sears BracketBusters match-up on Sunday afternoon in the Constant Center on the ODU campus.
The loss drops the Vikings to 23-6 on the year while ODU improves to 22-6.
Cole led CSU with his third career 30-point game while Trey Harmon and Jeremy Montgomery added 12 points each, all of which came in the second half. Kent Bazemore paced the Monarchs with 18 points and eight rebounds with Keyon Carter coming off the bench to add 14 points while Frank Hassell (12 points, 15 rebounds) and Ben Finney (10, 13) each registered a double-double.
"When you look at the stats, you wonder how a team that gets out-rebounded by 29 is even in the game," CSU head coach Gary Waters said. "But our kids fought hard and were able to stay in it against a good team that is deserving of an NCAA bid."
The Vikings were able to stay in it for one reason. . . Norris Cole.
For the second straight weekend, the Viking senior lit up the scoreboard, making a career-high eight three-pointers to register his third 30-point game of his career. He was 8-for-15 from three, falling one three-pointer made and attempted away from tying the school records held by Percell Coles.
The 35 points raised Cole's career scoring total to 1,819 points, moving him past former roommate J'Nathan Bullock and into fourth place on the CSU career scoring list. The effort also allowed him to move from sixth to fourth on the single season scoring list with 621 points this year. He is 87 points shy of Ken McFadden's record of 708 points set in 1986-87.
Cole also went seven-for-eight from the line to tie the CSU single season record with 177 free throws made this year, joining McFadden, who set the record in both 1986-87 and 1987-88. Cole is 23 free throw attempts away from Mouse's season mark of 233 (1987-88).
"Norris couldn't be contained this afternoon," Waters said. "They played a zone for most of the game and all he did was find a seam and take an extra step back"
Norris Cole made one of two free throws to put CSU ahead, 41-39 with 15:04 left, the Monarchs used an 11-2 run midway through the second half to take control of the game.
Bazemore started the run with a three-pointer from deep in the corner to give ODU the lead for good and then dunked in transition off a steal by Hassell. Cole interrupted the run with a pair of free throws when Bazemore was called for hanging on the rim after his dunk. Carter answered the free throws with a dunk and Ben Finney scored in transition to finish the run. When it was over, ODU had a 50-43 lead with 11:47 left.
Cole countered the run with his eighth three-pointer of the game, but eight straight ODU points pushed the lead to double figures and CSU would come no closer than six points until the final minute.
Old Dominion had a 53-24 rebounding advantage, using 23 offensive rebounds to outscore CSU, 23-10 in second chance points. But it was a field goal shooting difference that hurt the Vikings as CSU was just 20-for-59 from the field for the game (.339) while the Monarchs shot .433 (26-60).
Another key was bench production as the Viking reserves, which had not scored in the last three games, could manage just a pair of points on a Josh McCoy first half field goal while combining to play 44 minutes. The ODU bench was responsible for 24 points in the contest, going nine-for-22 from the field.
The Vikings came out wearing their black uniforms for the second time this season and the outcome wasn't any different from when they were unveiled in a 73-61 loss to Butler.
The first half was a back and forth affair as the Monarchs relentless offensive rebounding went head-to-head with the long-range shooting of Cole to have Old Dominion ahead, 31-28, at the break.
ODU started out fast, using a pair of baskets off offensive rebounds by Chris Cooper and a three pointer from Lliadis to build a 9-2 lead (16:13).
Cole scored five of the next seven points for CSU to bring the Vikings to within 11-9 (14:36).
After Lliadis layup that pushed the lead to 13-9 (13:55), Cole ran off 11 of the next 13 points during a 13-2 run as the Vikings built a 22-15 lead (10:02).
CSU would go cold from the field, making just two if its final 12 shots of then half to allow the Monarchs to build a 31-25 lead before Cole closed out the half with his sixth three-pointer.
The Vikings return home to close out the regular season with a pair of home contests, hosting third place Milwaukee (16-12, 11-5) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. before ending the year against Green Bay on Saturday (Feb. 26) at 2:00 p.m.
