NORFOLK, VA (WTKR) — Jeff Jones said the scouting report was out on his team after Old Dominion lost to Arkansas State on Thursday night.
“It’s that we’re soft,” Jones said.
His team heard those words and made sure to change his postgame thoughts on Saturday.
Behind 17 points from Tyreek Scott-Grayson, ODU took down Louisiana, the Sun Belt’s preseason favorite, 70-66.
“I’m proud of the way our guys bounced back, I’m proud of the way they responded,” Jones said. “I’m guessing from the way we played tonight, they didn’t particularly like my description of their performance the other night of being soft.”
The Monarchs led by as many as 22 points in the second half, but the Ragin’ Cajun chipped away at the lead to bring it all the way down to two points with less than two minutes to play.
That’s when Scott-Grayson hit his biggest shots, making a three and then converting a circus layup in just 22 seconds to bring the score back up to 65-58.
“I’d passed up a shot earlier when the shot clock was down and Coach Jones said, ‘Don’t be afraid to make plays,'” Scott-Grayson said. “I told him I got him, and all glory to God it went in.”
What a difference a few days make. After making just five shots in the first half against the Red Wolves, the Monarchs made seven threes against Louisiana in the first half of Saturday’s game.
Part of that effort was D’Angelo Stines, who hit three triples and a season-high 11 points in the win. After missing all of his three-point attempts this season, Stines has made five shots from beyond the arc over the last two games.
“I finally saw one go in the hoop,” Stines said. “They’ve been telling me keep shooting, I’ve been struggling. Hit my first one two days ago and haven’t looked back.”
Old Dominion looks to take the momentum built on the road next week, facing Troy next Thursday.
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