NORFOLK, Virginia — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore used an exceptional defensive effort to hang with Old Dominion (7-1) late into Sunday's (Dec. 8) matchup trailing by as few as four points with 1:53 left to play on the heels of an Amanda Carney (Old Bridge, New Jersey) 3-pointer.

But the Monarchs pounded the ball inside over the final two minutes — with 6-foot-2 freshman Marie Reichert scoring four of the team's final six points before fouling out with six seconds left — and pulled away for a 48-39 win.

"I'm really proud of the defense we played and the toughness we showed and I really think we did a good job to almost hold them to 20 points below their average on their home floor," Hawks coach Fred Batchelor said. "Coach (Sidney) Raikes has done a great job with them on the defensive end trying to get them to understand where to be and to position in relation to the ball. I thought today they communicated, they played connected on the defensive end and they close the possession most of the time unless it was just a situation where there was just size and athleticism that overmatched us."

Old Dominion came into the game averaging 66.6 points per game. Eastern Shore's feisty zone play held the Monarch to just 29% from the field, forced 17 turnovers and held the lead for the first nine minutes of the game. The contest featured seven leads changes.

"Credit to Maryland Eastern Shore," ODU coach Nikki McCray said. "Their ability to zone us was very effective."

The Hawks (2-7) also worked very hard on the glass despite a size disadvantage getting outrebounded just 42-36. The Shore is had three post players miss the game due to injury and, while the perimeter players helped pick up the slack on the glass seniors Ksenia Popovich (Moscow, Russia) and Chioma Npkuechina (Anambra, Nigeria) along with freshman Makayla Adams (Bowie, Maryland) spent a lot of time banging inside.

"Kay is down there battling and that is the one thing that sticks out in my mind," Batchelor said. "She is a little banged up today, but she just continued to battle and fight for us down inside against bigger and strong kids. That just says a lot about her and the toughness of our team."

Carney again led the Hawks in scoring with 12 points to go along with nine rebounds and four steals. Kenetria Redfern (Cheektowaga, New York) pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds and had seven points and three assists.

Brooklyn Bailey (Rock Hill, South Carolina) chipped in eight points, but had a rough night against the pressure with seven turnovers.

"I thought Porsha played a great floor game," Batchelor said. "She played a ton of minutes. And that wears on you — playing 39 minutes when they are challenging you and pressuring every ball.

"Amanda continues to be consistent and I thought Kenetria gave us some good minutes and she is going to get more comfortable with the basketball. I don't think anyone in the locker room is more disappointed than her about four turnovers, but I liked what she was trying to do. She is going to find a way when she gets comfortable."

Next up for the Hawks is a Saturday (Dec. 14) matchup with Mount St. Mary's at 2 p.m.